Hearts Like Glass
by Luxio Nyx
Summary: Secret Vampire Hunter Mr. Darcy finds himself strangely drawn to Elizabeth Bennet, despite the evil that hangs over his life. In a world where lives and hearts can shatter like glass, will Darcy ever get his Lizzie?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

Fitzwilliam Darcy glared with determined ice-blue eyes at the red brick town house towering above him. The streets of the small town in Kent were deserted, the faint glow of the lamps throwing ghostly shadows along the tiny alleyways that ran between the houses of the rich and wealthy. Ordinarily, Darcy would've passed by these glitzed up streets without so much as a backwards glance, but now was different. Darcy gathered his wits and walked stealthily towards the elegant brick townhouse that held his sister.

* * *

Georgiana Darcy tried not to whimper as her captor advanced on her, even though everything in her wanted to scream. Screaming would do no good where _he_ was concerned. It would only increase his twisted enjoyment.

With this thought present in her mind, Georgiana glared defiantly at the horrible demon in front of her.

"No need to look so grim, my dear," George Wickham chastised lightly, a slight lisp in his voice. "I'm sure you'll enjoy becoming one of my followers."

Georgiana shuddered and backed up farther against the wall. The edge of a gilded mirror dug into her back beneath the tattered muslin gown she had worn when Wickham had taken her. With a smile that revealed his wickedly sharp teeth, Wickham took another step towards her.

"Get away from her, Wickham," a deep voice said with an icy calm.

Wickham turned from his victim, his smile widening grotesquely.

"Well, hello Darcy," he purred. "What a nice surprise."

Darcy looked at Wickham steadily, his blue eyes resembling glaciers.

"If you're really that surprised to see me, you need to get better at your job, Wickham," he said coolly.

"And what of _your_ job, Darcy?" Wickham asked casually, amusement flashing in his steely grey eyes. "After all, I did manage to kidnap your sister right under your very nose."

Darcy's lips curled in disgust but he kept his cool. His grip tightened on the wooden stake in his hand.

Wickham smirked at the weapon.

"A stake? Only one? For shame, Darcy, don't you know me at all?" he asked smugly.

"I do, actually," Darcy said calmly. Without another word, Darcy lunged, not for Wickham, but for Georgiana. His arms closed around his shivering sister and pulled her close. In one fluid movement, Darcy leapt through the large window in the room. Darcy closed his eyes and tightened his grip on his sister, shielding her from the falling glass and debris. A sharp yank on his ankle pulled his sister out of his grasp and sent Darcy flying back into the room he had tried to flee.

Wickham chuckled derisively and looked down at his rival in contempt.

"Really, Darcy? You thought I could be defeated by that pathetic display?"

Still grimacing from the dent the floor had made in his back, Darcy could only look up at Wickham with unreadable eyes.

Wickham snorted and reached to grab Darcy around the throat.

"You're a fool, Darcy," he hissed.

Darcy smiled wryly.

"Yes," he rasped. "I am. But not for the reasons you're thinking of, Wickham."

Wickham frowned and opened his mouth to retort when a shadow reared up behind him and drove a stake through his side.

Wickham hissed in pain and surprise. He threw Darcy onto the ground and whirled around, catching Colonel James Fitzwilliam in the chest.

James flew backwards into the wooden frame jutting out of the wall, his head slamming into the wood with an audible thwack.

Wickham glared at Darcy, his eyes sparkling with hate.

"This isn't over," he growled, pulling the bloodied stake out of his side.

Wickham turned and leapt from the house, his form shifting into mist as he went.

Darcy gritted his teeth against the pain and disappointment and ran to his cousin's side.

"James," he hissed. "James, are you alright?"

The Colonel nodded, wincing slightly at the throbbing in his head.

"Never better, Fitzwilliam," he said lightly, his voice hoarse.

Darcy shook his head at his cousin's stupidity and knelt to help him up.

"I told you to wait until the target was clearly visible before striking," Darcy said, glancing sternly at his cousin.

James shrugged.

"He would've killed you if I had waited any longer," he said pointedly.

Darcy didn't answer, although he wouldn't have objected if he had died. It would've served him right after what happened.

James, always intuitive, saw through Darcy's silence. He frowned.

"Don't you dare, Darcy," he grumbled. "Georgiana needs you alive, and so do I."

"Georgiana would be perfectly safe in your hands, James," Darcy argued, but he knew he was defeated. No matter what, he needed to be there for Georgiana and James. He was all they had left now.

Darcy sighed again and moved towards the half-opened servants' door.

"Bingley invited me to go with him to Netherfield," he said nonchalantly.

James cast him a side-ways glance, his face twisting into a smile.

"Are you going?" he asked.

"I don't-"

"Fitzwilliam," James said sternly. "Come on, you hardly get out anymore. And besides, what harm could come from visiting Netherfield? It's out in the middle of nowhere in Hertfordshire."

"Which means there really isn't any reason for me to go, now is there?" Darcy protested, shoving open the small door.

"Bingley is one of the only friends you have left, Fitzwilliam," James said quietly. "Don't ruin things with him too. Georgiana and I will be fine for a few months."

Darcy sighed in defeat.

"Fine, James, I'll go," he said wearily.

James grinned triumphantly.

"I win again, Cousin," he said cheerfully.

"You always do, James."

**Disclaimer: all rights go to the awesome Jane Austen! Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice. All credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen.**

Chapter 1

Much as James had predicted, the estate of Netherfield was indeed located in the middle of nowhere. The stately home seemed to tower above the other estates in the area, and even its expansive grounds seemed puny when compared to Darcy's estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire.

Darcy glared with barely concealed contempt at the green countryside of Hertfordshire, thinking wistfully of the streets of London where James and Georgiana were staying.

Unaware of Darcy's disgust with the situation, Charles Bingley pointed out his favorite places on the grounds of Netherfield to his friend. He was a good man; a little naïve perhaps, but generally good tempered and with an open minded disposition. Darcy wondered if it was Bingley's open mindedness that had prompted him to buy this quaint little home.

Bingley looked up at the slowly descending sun, his fluffy red hair nearly glowing in the sunlight. He smiled and turned his cheerful brown eyes on his silent friend.

"Time escapes us, Darcy," he said brightly. "I'm afraid we must return now if we are to be ready in time for the ball at the Lucas's."

Darcy held back a groan. He hated balls in his own hometown, why on earth did he have to go to one in a place where he knew no one? Still, if it pleased Bingley, he might as well go. James hadn't been exaggerating when he said that Bingley was one of his only friends, and Darcy truly wanted to continue his friendship with Charles Bingley.

"By all means, Charles," he said resignedly. "Let us prepare for the ball."

Bingley chuckled at the resignation in his friend's voice.

"Can you at least make an effort to enjoy yourself, Darcy?" he asked. "I would hate to think you unhappy when I am having fun."

"Then let us hope that you are unhappy at the ball also," Darcy joked.

He made his way back to Netherfield, Bingley's laughter echoing in his ears.

Much as he expected, Darcy failed to enjoy himself at that poor excuse for a ball at Lucas Lodge. Not only did he find the residents of Hertfordshire vulgar, Caroline Bingley found it necessary to follow him around like a determined dog and complain at the top of her voice.

Standing safely out of the way against a wall in the corner, Darcy sighed wearily. Why did he always have to listen to James? Next time, James could be the one to attend the country balls and festivities and he could escape to London.

"Darcy!" Bingley called good-naturedly from his place on the dais next to Sir William Lucas. "Come over here, Darcy. Sir William has some people he wishes to introduce us to."

_How many more people can there possibly be in this country village?_ Darcy thought sourly.

He walked slowly towards the dais, his feet dragging. It seemed like a whole town of females had gathered around Bingley and Sir William. Darcy held back another sigh and pushed through the crowd to stand next to Bingley.

Sir William beamed at him and gestured towards the plainest woman in the crowd.

"Gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce you to my eldest daughter, Charlotte, and our good friends, the Bennets," he said smoothly. Three young women and an older lady who hovered over them like a shadow curtsied politely. Darcy tried not to shudder at the calculating look in the older woman's eyes. Great, another match-making mother.

"Oh, Mr. Bingley, it is such a pleasure to have you in Netherfield," the older woman gushed. "As I told Mr. Bennet, it's about time someone moved in to that wonderful estate."

Darcy rolled his eyes. So this was the infamous Mrs. Bennet. Somehow, he pictured her as less annoying. He should have known better.

Bingley smiled, oblivious to the woman's annoyance.

"It is a pleasure to be here, Mrs. Bennet," he said happily.

Mrs. Bennet's smile widened.

"May it please you to meet my daughters: this is Jane, my eldest." She gestured towards a pretty girl with golden curls and a gentle face. "Mary." A brown haired girl with a severe face and pale eyes curtsied stiffly. "And my second eldest, Elizabeth." A girl with auburn hair pulled back into a loose bun curtsied gracefully, her green eyes sparkling with amusement.

Darcy felt the breath fly out of him when he laid eyes on the last girl. Something about the way her eyes glowed in the lamplight made his knees go weak, a very dangerous reaction indeed. Darcy couldn't afford to let anyone make him weak, yet somehow this girl had struck him to the core.

As if sensing the dangerous effect she had on him, Elizabeth Bennet met his gaze and smiled. Darcy shuddered and looked away, effectively terminating any chance of connection with the mysterious woman.

_Perhaps James was wrong_, he thought wryly. _Perhaps there is danger in the country._

**Me: thanks so much to the people who reviewed! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth Bennet stood near the corner of the ballroom in Lucas Lodge, her green eyes following her elder sister, Jane, carefully. She knew it was a useless precaution; Jane hadn't had one of her spells ever since her latest vision a few days ago, something that Elizabeth was thankful for. She didn't think she could handle another vision like that. The memory of Jane's face when she had looked at her…. The very thought made Elizabeth shudder.

Mary Bennet saw when her older sister shuddered. She frowned and edged closer to Elizabeth, trying to avoid the chattering idiots who only seemed to come out at balls. Mary shook her head in disgust when she spied her younger sisters, Lydia and Kitty, prancing around the ballroom like beribboned horses. How she could possibly be related to those clueless airheads was beyond her.

"Lizzie," she whispered when she reached her sister.

Elizabeth looked up sharply, a faint blush overspreading her pale cheeks.

"Mary," she sighed.

"I saw you shudder," Mary murmured. "You were thinking of Jane's vision again, weren't you?"

Elizabeth looked away from her sister and nodded sheepishly.

"I can't get it out of my mind," she said softly. "The look on her face…" Elizabeth shuddered again at the memory.

Mary nodded gravely, reliving the moment herself. She, Lizzie, and Jane had been alone that day, which was a stroke of luck seeing as the scream that Jane had uttered once she had come out of her vision had been loud enough to send the entire family running, had they been around to hear it. Listening to Jane's breathless explanation and seeing Lizzie's solemn expression, Mary had braced herself for the biggest battle of her young life. Now, she had only to fight in it.

The entrance of the extremely wealthy guests of honor attracted the attention of everyone in the room, including Mary and Elizabeth. Mary, being shorter than her sibling, was forced to rely on secondhand descriptions from her taller older sister. As it turned out, the secondhand descriptions were unneeded. Mary had barely had a chance to press Elizabeth for details of the new arrivals, when Mrs. Bennet bustled over to them, dragging Jane behind her.

Jane smiled sheepishly at her younger sisters from behind her mother, her white face framed by delicate blond curls.

"Mother wants to introduce us to Mr. Bingley," she said quietly, her soft voice almost inaudible in the noisy room.

Mary groaned while Elizabeth smiled with amusement.

"What difference does it make if we're with you or not?" Mary demanded, slightly exasperated. "We all know he's only going to notice Jane."

Mrs. Bennet frowned at her middle child and clucked her tongue. The gesture so much resembled the call of a mother hen that both Elizabeth and Jane turned away to hide their grins.

"It's that lack of enthusiasm that has kept you from attracting any young men to you," Mrs. Bennet told Mary sternly. "If you showed even a tenth of Lydia's eagerness and social skills, you'd have had an offer by now."

"If I had one twentieth of Lydia's attitude towards others, I would be so completely without sense that my sisters would have no choice but to shoot me."

Elizabeth and Jane found it increasingly difficult to keep a straight face at Mary's declaration, and had to muffle their laughs with coughs. Mrs. Bennet clucked again and proceeded to drag her three daughters to the dais where Bingley and his guests stood with Sir William Lucas. Elizabeth spotted her friend Charlotte on the way to the dais and grabbed her hand.

"Please accompany me to meet Mr. Bingley," she hissed under her breath. "My insane mother insists on dragging me to meet him."

Charlotte chuckled and allowed herself to be pulled forward with the Bennet sisters. Sir William beamed when he saw his eldest daughter, making his introductions slightly warmer than they would normally have been.

Elizabeth turned her face away when her mother started speaking, not wishing to witness the embarrassing spectacle that was sure to follow. Embarrassment followed the Bennets like a shadow when Mrs. Bennet was involved. While avoiding such embarrassments, Elizabeth's gaze met the ice blue eyes of a tall gentleman standing in the shadow behind Bingley. How odd, she hadn't noticed a third gentleman when she had come up to the dais. It wasn't like her to not notice details like that… then again, she hadn't quite been herself since the vision…

The new gentleman was a vision indeed. Dark brown hair with streaks of black crowned a square, slightly angular face with stern features that seemed set into a permanent brooding look, and his lean, muscular frame was even taller than she herself was. Had it been anyone else, Elizabeth would've have unhesitatingly labeled them as ugly, yet something about this man struck her as handsome.

At that moment, the gentleman turned his face to the side slightly so that their eyes met. His ice blue eyes widened slightly when their gazes locked, sending a thrill through Elizabeth's core. Elizabeth smiled nervously at him, trying to hide her unease. The man's eyes tightened and he looked away abruptly, crossing his arms decisively in front of him.

Elizabeth frowned at the gesture and looked at the others to see if they had noticed. Mary smiled at her sympathetically, her brown eyes amused. She had obviously witnessed the entire thing. Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte were busy listening to Sir William's tales of the royal court in London, although something about Charlotte's smile made Elizabeth suspect that she had seen the interaction. As for Jane… Jane only had eyes for Bingley. Her face glowed with the kind of emotion that Elizabeth had only seen once or twice in the entire time that she had known her sister, and it pleased her to see Bingley returning the look with sincerity that betrayed his attraction.

Elizabeth smiled, pushing the confusing experience with the mysterious gentleman out of her mind, and hoped that her sister could finally find true happiness.

Darcy stood with his back pressed against the corner which he had retreated to after his disastrous introduction to the Bennet sisters. He couldn't forget the wounded look on Elizabeth Bennet's face when he had slighted her, yet he couldn't bring himself to regret the action. Making a connection with another human being other than Georgiana and James was completely out of the question. It would only bring pain and suffering to the innocent person involved, and Darcy had enough blood on his hands.

The one pleasure of that horrendous evening at Lucas Lodge was seeing Bingley with the eldest Bennet girl. Darcy couldn't help smiling when he saw the way Bingley beamed when the girl was around. It was like watching a small puppy with a giant bone, it was impossible not to chuckle a little bit. So when Bingley came over to his secluded corner, thereby redirecting attention to Darcy himself, he couldn't quite bring himself to resent Bingley until he opened his mouth.

"Come now, Darcy, what are you doing in this corner?" Bingley chastised lightly, a little too loudly for Darcy's tastes.

"I'm standing," Darcy muttered. _What does it look like I'm doing?_ He added silently.

Bingley laughed cheerfully at his friend's oddness and made to grab Darcy's sleeve. Darcy, anticipating the movement, drew back sharply. Bingley sighed.

"Come on, Darcy," he pleaded. "Won't you at least attempt to have fun?"

"Even if I attempted, I would still fail miserably, so what's the point of trying?"

"There are plenty of beautiful girls without partners. Perhaps you could- "

"You know I don't enjoy dancing, Bingley. Besides, you are dancing with the only attractive girl in the room," Darcy said hastily, wishing for a change of subject. Far too many people were watching their exchange for Darcy's liking, and he wanted to get rid of the unwanted attention.

Bingley sighed wistfully, his eyes straying to the blonde girl. She caught his eye and smiled, her pale face shining.

"She is an angel, Darcy," Bingley murmured, his eyes glazed. He shook himself back to reality and resumed his attack. "But her sister, she is beautiful, yes?"

Darcy shrugged, thinking Bingley meant Mary, the brown-haired girl with the severe face.

"She is tolerable," he said slowly. "But not handsome enough to tempt me." _For goodness sakes, just leave Bingley!_ He thought impatiently. "Go, and enjoy your fair partner's smiles while you still have the chance. You're wasting your time with me."

Bingley sighed with defeat and turned away. The curious observers turned their faces to follow Darcy's handsome friend, but not before Darcy had caught a disgruntled looking Elizabeth glaring at him. She turned away the moment she saw him looking at her, her green eyes flashing.

Darcy frowned, confused, and went back to leaning against the wall. How odd, did Elizabeth care that much about her sister that she would get mad at people who didn't think her handsome?

As if summoned by some demented whistle, Caroline Bingley chose that moment to appear once more by his side.

"I see you've managed to make an enemy, Mr. Darcy," she simpered, sneering at Elizabeth's back. "I must say, Elizabeth Bennet does not take criticism well, does she?"

"Criticism?" Darcy repeated. "Who was criticizing her?"

Caroline frowned slightly, wondering if this was a trick question.

"Why, you did, Mr. Darcy," she said slowly, as if waiting for the punch line. "You called her barely tolerable."

"What? No, I was referring to her sister, Miss Mary," Darcy protested, feeling suddenly uneasy. Was that why Elizabeth had looked so furious? He hadn't meant to insult her…. No man in his right mind would do that. Then again, perhaps it was for the best if she hated him. It would save him the trouble of discouraging attachment between them later on. Darcy sighed inwardly and resigned himself to the torture that was dancing with Caroline Bingley, trying to keep his eyes from straying to the place where he knew Elizabeth Bennet was standing.

He failed miserably.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here…. *sniff* unfortunately…..**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 2

Elizabeth stood among a crowd of giggling girls and tried very hard not to scream.

She hadn't meant to overhear the conversation between Bingley and Darcy, yet she had heard it all the same. She had felt the sting when Darcy slighted her looks firsthand, had felt the anger well up inside of her at his words. How dare he insult her like that? He barely even knew her! But he was handsome, and handsome men did tend to know beautiful women when they saw them. Could it be that Elizabeth wasn't as handsome as she thought she was?

Elizabeth clenched her teeth against a fresh scream of frustration and tried not to watch the frustrating man as he danced with Bingley's red headed sister. She failed half of the time, but she still tried. It didn't help any when she felt Darcy's piercing eyes gaze at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Each time she sensed his gaze, she felt a new thrill of emotion go through her that made it even harder to resist turning around to meet his ice blue eyes head on.

As if on cue, Darcy turned his head once again, his eyes coming to rest on Elizabeth, half-hidden among the twittering blobs of silk that called themselves girls. Elizabeth felt her face flush and she turned away.

_Perhaps he wishes to find more faults to prove me less tolerable than I already am_, she thought sourly.

"Lizzie!"

Elizabeth turned around at the sound of Mary's voice, her senses instantly alert.

Mary waved to her from a secluded corner of the room, her brown eyes wide with alarm.

Elizabeth frowned and pushed her way roughly through the chattering girls, paying no heed to their cries of outrage as she trod on the delicate silk of their gowns. She reached the corner where Mary stood within seconds, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Mary nodded discreetly towards the shadowy walls behind her. Jane huddled against the walls; her eyes squeezed shut against an unknown terror. Elizabeth felt herself go pale and she moved quickly to her sister's side.

"Jane," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Jane looked up at her, her lips trembling; her doe-like brown eyes were wide and unfocused, her expression pained.

"Lizzie," she breathed, slightly relieved. Then she tensed and looked around, her eyes narrowed. "Is anyone else around?"

Mary shook her head. She surreptitiously moved to hide her sisters from view, her dark head bent as if she was checking the lace at the edge of her skirt. Her eyes flickered across the room, checking the faces of the surrounding party-goers to make sure no one was watching.

Jane sighed in relief and moved closer to Elizabeth, careful to keep herself hidden behind Mary.

"Elizabeth," she started. She stopped suddenly, seeming to hesitate.

"Tell me what you saw, Jane," Elizabeth said grimly.

Jane nodded and took a deep, steadying breath.

"I saw some," she said quietly. "Vampires. They're coming here soon."

Elizabeth felt the breath fly out of her. Darn, she had been enjoying her vacation.

"When?" she asked resignedly.

Jane frowned, trying to concentrate.

"Soon," she said finally. "One of them may be here already."

"How many of them are there?" Mary whispered, turning her head to the side so that no one noticed there conversation.

Jane frowned again and closed her eyes. She was silent for a long time as she concentrated. Finally, she gave up with a sigh of frustration.

"I can't see," she muttered, annoyed. "They have a different aura than the others. It's darker… harder to pinpoint."

Elizabeth frowned. She didn't like not knowing what she was up against.

"Can you see if any of them are here yet?" Mary asked, her voice calm despite the faint trembling that had taken hold of her.

Jane nodded and grabbed Elizabeth's arm as she struggled to stand up. She cast her eyes over the mixed dancers in the ballroom, skipping automatically over the familiar gold and blue auras of her family. Her brow furrowed when she cast eyes on Mr. Darcy and Caroline Bingley.

"There," she whispered, gesturing towards the couple. "One of them is the vampire."

"Which one?" Elizabeth demanded, an unknown alarm coursing through her at the sight of Darcy.

Jane frowned and looked between the two intensely. She nodded after a few moments and sighed.

"I can't tell," she admitted quietly. "One of them has some vampire blood in them, which makes it hard to tell which is which."

"Vampire blood?" Mary repeated, her eyes creasing into a confused frown. "How can that be? Are they descended from vampires or have they had an exchange?"

"Whatever the reason, we need to watch them closely," Elizabeth said her voice hard. She straightened up and took her place beside Mary, her eyes flashing with determination. "Jane, you and Mary can watch over Caroline and Mr. Bingley. I'll cover Darcy."

Mary raised her eyebrows at Elizabeth's choice of target but said nothing. Jane, however, was a different matter.

"Mr. Bingley?" she repeated with alarm. "Why do we need to watch him?"

"If his sister is a vampire, Bingley's either a vampire also or he's a target," Elizabeth explained. "If he's a vampire, we need to eliminate him. If he's a target, we need to protect him at all costs."

Mary nodded, slightly amused.

"I'll take Caroline," she said quietly. "I'm sure that Jane can handle Bingley."

Jane hesitated for a moment longer before nodding. She stood up carefully and smoothed the wrinkles in her gown.

"I think I'll go ask Bingley for another dance," she murmured before walking away.

Mary nudged Elizabeth's arm as the dance ended and Darcy walked away from Caroline.

"There's your cue," she whispered. "Will you take the direct approach or will you simply stalk him like dear Caroline?"

Elizabeth ignored her sister and strode purposefully towards the man in the corner. Darcy's eyebrows shot up when he saw her approaching. He watched her warily through ice blue eyes that somehow managed to be warm.

Elizabeth forced herself to smile cheerfully at him and brushed some strands of hair away from her eyes.

"Do you like to dance, Mr. Darcy?" she asked coyly.

Darcy frowned. Everything in him was urging him to say yes and accept a dance with the lovely Elizabeth. After all, he had endured a dance with Caroline Bingley, he deserved some relief. Darcy shook these treacherous thoughts out of his head and steeled his resolve. No, he would not hurt anyone else by allowing himself to like them. He wouldn't ruin someone's life again…

"I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of dancing, Eliz- Miss Bennet," he said slowly, wincing as he almost said her name.

Elizabeth frowned, not missing his slip, and feigned shock.

"Don't you ever dance?" she asked.

"Not if I can help it," he said firmly.

"You seemed to enjoy dancing with Miss Bingley," Elizabeth blurted out before she could stop herself. She blushed and dropped her gaze, annoyed at herself.

Darcy chuckled darkly.

"I wouldn't call dancing with Caroline enjoyable," he said dryly. "More like a convenient way to get her to stop talking."

"Can you not talk when you dance?" Elizabeth asked, trying to hide her relief.

Darcy grinned.

"Not Caroline," he said ruefully. "I'm afraid she is too busy enjoying my "chiseled features up close" as she puts it."

Elizabeth smiled slightly and tried to hide back a laugh at the image of Caroline Bingley drooling over Darcy's clear blue eyes. She caught Mary's questioning gaze over Darcy's shoulder and tensed as the reality of her situation with Darcy crashed down on her.

Elizabeth Bennet wasn't here to flirt with the handsomest man in the room, although she appeared to be doing a good job. Elizabeth was a vampire hunter, and right now, Mr. Darcy of Derbyshire was her target.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story… *sigh* Mr. Darcy is still beyond reach….. **

** Thanks to all of the people who reviewed! It really means a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5

Darcy glared ruefully out of Bingley's large parlor window, trying not to dwell on Elizabeth Bennet… again. Once again, he was failing miserably. It seemed that he was failing at a lot of things lately, a fact which would surely send Caroline Bingley into denial and give James a laugh.

It had been little more than a fortnight since the ball at Lucas Lodge and since then Darcy had been dragged along behind Bingley as his friend dined with almost every family in Hertfordshire… including the Bennet family.

At Lucas Lodge, Darcy had sworn to himself not to get involved in Elizabeth Bennet's life or have any contact with her whatsoever. Much to his dismay, Darcy had found that vow tested beyond the limits of sanity with every visit to that accursed estate of Longbourn. The sensation of being in the same room as Elizabeth had been torturous enough; and it hadn't helped his vow that she had hardly ever turned her sharp gaze away from him. It was the sharpness of her gaze that had worried Darcy and disgusted Caroline.

Caroline Bingley had decided from the very beginning that Elizabeth Bennet wasn't at all deserving of the title of pretty, and Elizabeth's habit of scrutinizing Darcy had given even more fuel to Caroline's fire, convincing Miss Bingley that Eliza Bennet was nothing more than a patronizing shrew. Darcy couldn't agree with Caroline there, not that that was a shock (he hardly ever agreed with Bingley's psychotic younger sister). It was impossible to see Elizabeth as a shrew, much less a patronizing one. No, the thing that most struck him about her attention was the careful intensity with which she scrutinized him, similar to the attention a lion gives to its prey before it attacks.

Darcy sighed and turned away from the window before his thoughts took him to less welcome venues. He wasn't really in the mood for a trip down memory lane…

A quiet and insistent knock sounded against the smooth wooden door that led into the entryway, interrupting Darcy's thoughts. A few feet away, Caroline and her older sister, Louisa, fidgeted restlessly in anticipation of a visitor. Darcy frowned, wondering who they had invited. Caroline and Louisa rarely had visitors, especially when Bingley wasn't home (Charles had gone to Lucas Lodge alone today, since Darcy had pointedly refused to have anything more to do with the man).

A sharply dressed servant entered the room, followed closely by a petite woman who resembled a drowned rat. Darcy recognized the form of Jane Bennet underneath the layers of soaked clothes and sopping hair. She cast him a weary smile before giving an awkward curtsy to Bingley's sisters.

"Dear Lord, Ms. Bennet, did you ride here or swim?" Caroline drawled lazily.

Jane laughed shakily and rubbed her hand absently against her arm, attempting to hide the shiver that went through her.

"My father couldn't spare the horses, so I was obliged to ride here on horseback," she explained between chattering teeth.

"Good heavens, in weather like this?!" Louisa gasped. "How dreadful! We must get you into some dry clothes, Ms. Bennet."

"No, no, I'm fine, really," Jane insisted. "I'm-." The color suddenly drained from her face and she swayed slightly in place. Darcy moved forward, catching the unconscious girl moments before her head made contact with the floor.

"We should get her upstairs," he murmured. "She isn't well."

"Oh! Yes, yes of course," Caroline gasped, seeming more distressed by the fact that Darcy was touching Jane than by the fact that Jane had fainted. "I shall call Albert."

"No need," Darcy said shortly. "I know where the guest rooms are."

"But, Mr. Darcy-."

Darcy ignored Caroline's objections and hurried out of the room, sighing with relief when he could no longer hear her complaints.

Sometimes, you had to take whatever opportunities you could get, especially when Caroline Bingley was involved.

Jane Bennet tried to remain limp as Mr. Darcy carried her easily up the spiral staircase to the rooms above, although it would've been more natural to struggle against his strong grip. She had never been so close to someone with a vampire aura, and she didn't like the experience one bit. Granted, she still wasn't entirely sure how he had vampire blood in him, and his aura wasn't as dark as a regular vampire's, but it was still unpleasant.

_Lucky for me, I've had plenty of practice fainting_, Jane thought wryly. If she fainted many more times from visions or from Mary's insane plans, she was going to be able to give lessons.

At first, Jane had been reluctant to agree to Mary's plan. She hated being a bother to people, and she hated being alone in a home with a vampire even less. Still, Lizzy would be here before breakfast tomorrow, and it was certainly an effective way to investigate the Bingleys and their mysterious guest, Mr. Darcy.

Jane sighed inwardly and waited patiently for Darcy to reach her room. The wooden stake that was hidden within the folds of her gown was starting to be uncomfortable…

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here… *sniff sniff* need I say more?**

**Thanks to all of the people who reviewed! You guys rock! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Elizabeth Bennet walked casually up the drive to Netherfield, once more thanking whoever was watching over her that her father had convinced her mother to let her come. Not that it would have mattered; Elizabeth was perfectly capable of sneaking out without her parents' notice, but it was still nice to have the semblance of permission. It also gave Mary more advantage in her own escapades. Since Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were far less trustful of supposedly oblivious Mary than they were of Elizabeth and Jane, Mary was often forced to sneak out of the house whenever the three were faced with vampire problems. Although Mrs. Bennet could often careless, Mr. Bennet was far more cautious about what his daughters, especially his much neglected middle daughter, did when they were away from home, which was very bad since older men didn't tend to do well against vampires.

The severe-faced servant who answered the door seemed so surprised to see Elizabeth that she almost laughed aloud. As it was, she couldn't quite keep a small smile off of her face as the man led her through the tangled hallways of Netherfield. Elizabeth glanced quickly at the stairs leading to the upper rooms, frowning as she tried to find traces of Jane's aura. While her elder sister suffered from visions of the future, Elizabeth often noticed traces of a person's aura on the places where they had recently been. It proved a very convenient ability when the sisters were separated on their missions. Much as she had suspected, there were faint traces of Jane's honey-gold aura spread across the marble stairs. Jane had obviously been searching the house at night while the inhabitants were in bed.

The remains of the smile that Elizabeth had worn when she had walked through the door disappeared when she walked in to Bingley's dining parlor and saw Darcy and Caroline sitting at the small table with another woman who could only be Caroline and Bingley's eldest sister, Louisa Hurst. The inhabitants of the room seemed just as surprised to see her, although Elizabeth doubted that Caroline's disgusted glare could really be classified as surprise in most civilizations. Elizabeth's arm instinctively moved towards the stake hidden within the folds of her skirt. She caught it just in time and held the treacherous hand tightly in her right hand. Drawing attention to the hiding place of half of the six weapons that were hidden within her clothes would not be the best idea in the current situation.

"Good lord, Miss Elizabeth, did you walk here?" Caroline Bingley demanded, interrupting Elizabeth's thoughts.

Elizabeth nodded absently, shaking herself slightly. _Focus_, she reminded herself.

"I did," she said politely. An awkward silence ensued, during which all of the inhabitants in the room fought to avoid staring at the each other. Finally, Elizabeth took pity on them and broke the stubborn silence. "Excuse me, but could you please direct me to my sister?"

"She's upstairs," Darcy said quietly before Caroline could open her mouth. He avoided the intense glares of the sisters and gestured towards the stairs that Elizabeth had passed by earlier. "The first door on the left."

"Thank you," Elizabeth murmured, her face a bright red, before fleeing the room.

She paused outside the closed door of Jane's room, her breathing suddenly labored. How could that man have had that effect on her? How could _any_ man have had that effect on her, much less Mr. Darcy the Cold and Silent?

Elizabeth shuddered, hating herself for being so vulnerable. Mr. Darcy was either a target or someone to protect, nothing else. If she even entertained the thought of becoming closer to any of the inhabitants of Netherfield, the results could be fatal.

**Disclaimer: all credit belongs to the awesome Jane Austen! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed! Also, I hope you all had a nice Mother's Day!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Jane looked up wearily when Elizabeth entered, only to straighten up immediately when she recognized her sister.

"Lizzy," she sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. Where's Mary?"

"She couldn't come with me, Father wouldn't let her," Elizabeth explained, carefully shutting the door behind her. "She will get away when she can."

Jane nodded, her eyes darting towards the door.

"Did anyone follow you?" she whispered.

Elizabeth shook her head.

Jane sighed again and smiled slightly.

"Good, I've been getting sick and tired of Mr. Darcy hovering outside my door all of the time."

"Darcy was watching over you?" Elizabeth asked her voice suddenly sharp.

Jane shrugged and nodded, seeming surprised by Elizabeth's intensity.

"I think he's either aware of the vampire like I am and is trying to protect me or he is the vampire and is trying to make sure that I don't know too much. Either way, I doubt it has much to do with me personally."

Elizabeth nodded and looked away, ashamed of her jealousy. Why did Darcy have to affect her this way?

"Have you found anything?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

Jane shrugged.

"Not really," she said. "I only confirmed what we already knew: Bingley isn't a vampire, and the only vampire powers that I can sense are centered mainly on Darcy and Caroline. It's been hard to tell which one of them is the actual vampire because Caroline hardly ever leaves Darcy's side during the day and both of their auras are muted at night."

Elizabeth frowned, sharing in Jane's frustration. The longer the vampire was unknown, the more people were put in danger by the vampire's presence.

"Have you had any more visions?" Elizabeth asked.

Jane shook her head, seeming slightly cheered by that fact.

"Good," Elizabeth sighed. "I don't want Bingley to think that his new love interest is in any danger."

"Yes, because my being here as an undercover vampire hunter who is working to track down a vampire who may or may not be his sister or his best friend certainly doesn't classify as being in danger," she teased.

Elizabeth smiled and went to the window to look down at the lawn below. She pulled the thick blue curtains aside and looked out at the trees that lined Netherfield's park, a small sigh of relief escaping her when she saw Mary's dark blue aura weaving among the trees. She pulled back from the window, leaving the curtain half-open as a sign to her sister.

She turned back to Jane and smiled softly.

"Mary is here, she should be here soon," she whispered. She looked back at the door and tensed when she saw an ice-white aura shifting around on the other side of it. "Someone's here," she murmured so only Jane could hear her.

Jane nodded and settled back in the bed, her hand drifting towards the pillow that covered her stake. Elizabeth walked slowly towards the door and opened it, her brow furrowing when she saw no one.

She bit her lip to keep from cursing and pulled back sharply, shutting the door behind her hastily.

"I think our vampire knows that we're here," she sighed.

Jane paled and looked at the window.

"Mary," she whispered.

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters…. Need I say more?**

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Elizabeth darted down the stairs of the Bingley household, her hands fluttering restlessly against the rough surface of her wooden stake. Her eyes flickered restlessly around the hallways, searching for the ice-white aura she had seen on the other side of Jane's door. She heard Jane following her silently from a distance and wordlessly held out a hand to stop her. Jane frowned at her but nodded reluctantly and turned back to her room.

Elizabeth sighed quietly with relief. Jane was excellent at going undercover but she wasn't a fighter. Elizabeth would much rather have her elder sister slightly safe in her room than caught in the cross-fires of an all-out fight with a vampire. Elizabeth gritted her teeth, brushed her hand once more against the stake for reassurance, turned down the hallway that lead into the parlor…

…and ran into Mr. Darcy as he was running the exact opposite way, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. Darcy froze when he saw Elizabeth, his right hand moving quickly behind his back. Elizabeth caught a flash of some type of weapon before it was hidden behind the folds of his stylish black waistcoat. Uh oh, bad sign…

"Miss Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said smoothly, quickly regaining his composure. Elizabeth noticed that his shoulders were tense with expectation. For what, she really didn't want to know. "I didn't- weren't you- Is your sister alright?"

"She's quite fine, thank you for your concern, sir," she said warily. She squinted slightly, trying to read his aura. She thought it was blue, like his eyes, but there was something not quite right about it, something almost like ice…

Elizabeth gasped and whipped out her stake. She aimed the thin piece of wood at the man before her, watching with a distant sense of satisfaction as his eyes widened with amazement. His surprised expression made some small part of her tremble, a sensation that alarmed her more than anything else she had experienced so far. A small shudder went through her, but she forced the arm that held the stake to remain steady.

"I think I must ask you to put that stake down, Miss Elizabeth," Mr. Darcy said with forced calmness, his right hand moving slightly, revealing the weapon again. "Please, this doesn't have to be difficult-."

"May I ask, Mr. Darcy, why you were listening outside of Jane's bedroom?" Elizabeth interrupted him coolly. "And how long you intended to remain here?"

"And what if I don't want to answer any of your questions, my dear?" Darcy asked.

Elizabeth held up her other hand wordlessly and shook back the sleeve of her dress, revealing a small dart launcher mounted on a tightly coiled spring. Darcy's eyebrows rose in an expression that was, surprisingly, almost amusement.

"You're a smart girl, Elizabeth," he said quietly.

Elizabeth's jaw clenched as she fought the reaction that occurred whenever Darcy said her name.

"You may call me Miss Bennet, sir," she snapped through gritted teeth.

"Oh? Then, Miss Bennet, may I ask that you please step away from my brother?" a new female voice said with icy calm just as cool steel was rested lightly against her throat.

Elizabeth stiffened and reluctantly dropped the stake. Darcy smiled resignedly.

"Hello, Georgiana," he said calmly. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."

The woman holding Elizabeth shrugged ever so slightly, the dagger pressed against Elizabeth's throat not moving an inch.

"Our aunt was worried," she said softly. "She didn't want you running off with some inferior country girl."

Was it Elizabeth's imagination, or did Darcy's eyes flicker to her for a very brief moment before turning back to his sister?

Georgiana Darcy's knife pressed harder against Elizabeth's skin, causing Elizabeth to hold back a grimace as the sharp edge came dangerously close to breaking her skin.

"What should we do with her, Fitzwilliam?" she asked. Elizabeth noted that Georgiana's voice wavered ever so slightly.

Darcy frowned and looked back at Elizabeth with a shrewd expression. Elizabeth glared back, daring him to try anything.

"I suggest you release my sister, Miss Darcy," Jane said coolly before Darcy could open his mouth.

Elizabeth felt Georgiana tense and knew that the Darcy girl now had one of Jane's stakes pressed against her back. Darcy's eyes flashed with fury and he moved towards his sister, only to be stopped as Elizabeth lifted her hand again, reminding him that she had a dart launcher attached to her wrist. Darcy froze for a moment, his eyes flickering between Elizabeth and his sister as concern for personal safety battled with brotherly affection. Finally, his eyes tightened and he prepared to move forward again. Elizabeth's hand tightened around the coil for the dart launcher, steeling herself for the shot. Deep down inside of her, some little part of her mind was crying as it prepared to kill him…

"Wait!"

Miraculously, the two voices that screamed that one word managed to stop both of the parties dead.

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of the things in this story…. Well, all except for the dart launcher. Thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Elizabeth froze in her tracks and turned around slowly, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. One of the voices had sounded like-.

"James?" Darcy said with disbelief.

"Mary?" Jane gasped.

Mary Bennet and Colonel James Fitzwilliam regarded their relatives through steady eyes, their expressions surprisingly calm when compared to the wild eyes of the others.

"Elizabeth, Jane," Mary said quietly. "Mr. Darcy- and whoever the girl is- are not vampires. They are merely vampire hunters like we are."

"The same goes for the Bennets, Darcy," James added hastily. "Although, I'm still not sure about Caroline Bingley. I still think she's a witch."

"And I thought that I was the only one," Elizabeth muttered, her stake arm slowly lowering.

Georgiana Darcy laughed shakily and removed the knife from Elizabeth's throat. Elizabeth turned slowly and appraised her attacker with appraising eyes. Now that she could see the girl, Elizabeth was surprised to see that Georgiana Darcy wasn't much older than Mary was, if not younger. Unlike her brother, Georgiana had long, curling gold hair, although her eyes were the same shade of icy blue. Her heart-shaped face creased slightly as she smiled shakily. Elizabeth noted with distant interest that the knife that Georgiana had pressed against her throat was a small knife that fit neatly into the handle of her fan.

"Nice knife," Elizabeth said appreciatively.

"Thanks," Georgiana said shyly. "Fitzwilliam gave it to me, after…" Her voice trailed off as she cast a wary look at her brother. Darcy shook his head slightly, his face even paler than usual. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at him but made no comment.

Jane looked between them for a moment before turning to James, looking almost suspicious.

"How is it that you know our sister Mary, Mr…?"

"Fitzwilliam," James said easily. "But please, call me James."

Jane's eyebrows rose with shock at the breach in conduct and she cast a surprised glance at Mary, who shrugged.

"I met him in the bushes," she said calmly.

Elizabeth smirked. If anyone else had said that sentence, it would've sounded scandalous; but with Mary, it simply sounded commonplace, like meeting in the market.

Darcy raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"And you were in the bushes why?" Darcy asked slowly.

"She was keeping watch on the house while we tried to track down the vampire," Elizabeth said shortly.

"Ah," Darcy murmured. "Is that why you were carrying a stake and a dart launcher?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth muttered, eyeing Darcy with a mix of distaste and amusement. "And maybe I was simply carrying it around in case a creepy man attacked me."

"Do you find me creepy, Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy asked softly, his eyes watching her intensely.

"Certainly not, Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth teased. "I rather think you mysteriously odd."

Georgiana and James stared at her with disbelief before turning quickly to Darcy to watch his reaction. Darcy simply smiled and turned back to James.

"And why are you here, James? Georgiana?" Darcy asked calmly.

Georgiana blushed and looked at James imploringly.

"We sensed that there was a vampire in the area, Darcy," James said. "His aura was… familiar."

"Familiar?" Darcy repeated with false calm, his blue eyes suddenly icy. "And you tracked him here?"

"I attacked him here," James said quietly. "He was just about to attack Miss Mary, here, when I found him."

Darcy's breath flew out in a gesture that was too tense to be a sigh. He turned away abruptly, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Who is this vampire?" Elizabeth demanded, her hand clenching around her stake. "Perhaps we can-."

"No," Darcy said abruptly, interrupting her. The others stared at him. "No, you will not help us," he continued firmly. "I forbid it."

"You forbid it?" Elizabeth growled. "I didn't realize that you were in any position to forbid anything, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy didn't say anything, merely turned away again.

"Nevertheless," he said quietly. "I forbid it."

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here. All credit goes to the awesome Jane Austen. Also, thanks to all of the people who reviewed. I'm sorry that I sometimes take awhile to post, but thanks for having patience!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Elizabeth glared furiously out of the window of the slow-moving carriage, trying desperately to ignore the useless chattering of her two youngest sisters.

It had been close to a fortnight since Jane had 'recovered' from her serious cold and returned home to the Bennet household, and since then she hadn't heard a word from Bingley's charming friend, Mr. Darcy. True to his word, the gentleman refused to send the three Bennet sisters any news on his progress in tracking the vampire in the Bingley household. He even went so far as to forbid his sister and cousin, who were both frequent visitors at Longbourn, to mention anything about vampires, although Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that James cheated a little bit when it came to Mary. The youngest Bennet vampire hunter had recently come across useful information about hunting vampires, such as the use of silver to temporarily incapacitate them and the fact that vampires could be seen more easily on nights with a full moon because they were unable to hide their fangs at those times. Elizabeth suspected that Georgiana knew about James' slips and even encouraged him in his little indiscretions. The young Miss Darcy was unlikely to go against her older brother on any point, although it still surprised Elizabeth that Georgiana would take such a liking to her given the hostile relationship between her brother and Elizabeth.

Lydia gave a tiny shriek of despair, jolting Elizabeth out of her reverie. Elizabeth glanced quickly at her youngest sister, her hand moving to the wooden stake hidden in her sleeve.

"My handkerchief!" Lydia wailed. "It fell! I was going to use it to flirt with the militia!"

Since the militia was a breeding ground for vampires, Elizabeth couldn't quite bring herself to regret the misfortune.

"Pardon me, Miss."

Elizabeth turned with her younger sisters to see a handsome young man in a dashing red uniform lean into the window of the carriage, Lydia's spoiled handkerchief in his hand.

"I believe you dropped this, madam," he said smoothly as he handed the cloth back to Lydia. His warm hazel eyes sparkled with humor at some hidden joke, and his auburn hair fell playfully across his eyes.

Elizabeth knew right away that she hated him.

Behind the gentleman's charming exterior, she could plainly see his roiling scarlet and ice-white aura. If she focused closely enough, she could almost see the compulsion pouring off of him as he focused on Lydia. Vampire.

_I need to get him away from Lydia and Kitty_, Elizabeth thought desperately. With their flirtatious manners and their low sense of common-sense, her sisters were easy prey for the vampire that was focusing on them now, whereas Elizabeth was experienced and protected from compulsion.

"Thank you, sir, for your gallantry in rescuing my sister's handkerchief," Elizabeth said softly, interrupting Lydia's flirtations mid-sentence. Lydia glared at her sister, but Elizabeth ignored her.

The man seemed surprised.

"My pleasure, Miss," he said, a winning smile passing over his handsome features. "Might I interest you young ladies in accompanying me for a walk to make up for the loss of your handkerchief?"

"What a capital idea," Elizabeth agreed with false enthusiasm. Internally, she groaned. Vampires only took walks with humans if the walks ended with a feeding. This should be lovely.

The three sisters got out of the carriage with what grace they could manage. Elizabeth managed to leave her glove in the carriage before it went, a message to Mary and Jane. If anything happened to her, they'd know what to do…

The man lead the girls down a winding road that soon turned into a thin path, its edges nearly hugging the banks of the river that snaked through town.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself," the gentleman said with perfect politeness. "My name is Mr. Wickham."

"Oh! What a charming name! Isn't it charming, Lydia?" Kitty exclaimed.

"Just lovely," Lydia agreed, slyly slipping her arm through Wickham's.

Wickham smiled slightly and looked back at Elizabeth.

"Would you not like to join us, Miss…?"

"Elizabeth," Elizabeth blurted before she could stop herself. She cursed herself. This vampire was stronger than she had originally thought.

"Miss Elizabeth," Wickham murmured with amusement. "Would you like to join us?"

To her horror, Elizabeth found herself moving towards him slowly, her arm reaching out to grasp his…

A loud whinny alerted the group to approaching horses, thus breaking the vampire's spell. Elizabeth stepped back with relief and turned gratefully towards the arriving riders who had unwittingly saved her life.

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy pulled up hastily beside the group. Bingley smiled cheerfully, but Darcy's expression immediately became stormy when he saw who Elizabeth was with. Wickham's eyebrows raised in slight surprise and displeasure. He took another step back from the Bennet girls and bowed briefly to Bingley before turning away into the trees.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; all of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen. Also, thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, first things first, sorry about not updating for a while. The last days of school are coming up and I needed to study for finals…. Anyways, sorry for keeping you waiting, and I promise to try not to do it again.**

Chapter 11

Darcy glared murderously at the trees where Wickham had disappeared, his hands clenching around the reins of Bingley's horse as his friend made arrangements for the Bennet sisters to make their way home. Beside Darcy, his horse shifted nervously, sensing his tension.

_Damn you, Wickham_, Darcy swore mentally. Damn that vampire for following him here. Damn himself for letting that undead snake get near Elizabeth.

As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Elizabeth Bennet turned in Darcy's direction, her green-gold eyes troubled. She carefully disengaged herself from Bingley's kind attentions and made her way to Darcy's side.

"Mr. Darcy-," she started.

"Don't talk to me," Darcy growled, interrupting her harshly.

Elizabeth drew back, looking hurt.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't talk to me," he repeated testily, his ice-blue eyes glancing around at the trees around him. He didn't see Wickham watching them, but that didn't mean anything. For all he knew, the filthy vampire could be standing right next to him behind that copse of hickory trees. "I thought I told you to stay away from the vampires."

"Just because you've given orders to your sister and your cousin not to tell me about your progress on tracking the vampires across God's creation, doesn't mean I'm going to stop fighting vampires wherever I find them," Elizabeth replied testily.

"Yes, you seemed to be putting up quite a fight against Wickham while you were walking into his arms," Darcy hissed.

Elizabeth blushed furiously and turned away. Despite the circumstances, Darcy couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked when she was embarrassed.

"He…was stronger than I'd anticipated," she admitted grudgingly.

Darcy snorted and looked away as painful memories washed over him. Stronger than she'd anticipated… that pretty much described the Wickham he remembered.

"Just stay away from him, and any other vampires you might meet, got it?" he sighed.

Elizabeth opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue but shook her head instead and walked stiffly away. Darcy watched her go and sighed with relief. True, she might hate her now, but if she listened to his advice for once at least she'd be kept safe from that murderous snake Wickham.

Elizabeth walked up to the small group that was her younger sisters and Bingley, her thoughts still focused on Darcy. That pig! Well, granted he was far too handsome to be a pig, but still. How dare he say that she wasn't a match for Wickham? Elizabeth Bennet could do anything if she wanted to!

"….about the ball, Mr. Bingley," Lydia simpered, dragging Elizabeth out of her thoughts.

Elizabeth looked up, her eyebrows raised with renewed interest. A ball? Vampires tended to flock to balls like antelopes to a watering hole; the ballrooms crowded with dancers usually meant that someone could disappear unnoticed for at least a night before the alarm was sounded, making it simple for the vampire to get away clean. It was the perfect time for Elizabeth to grab some vampires and prove to Darcy that she could easily handle any vampire who crossed her path.

"Ah, yes," Bingley said cheerfully. "When did you fair ladies say that you wanted the ball to be?"

"How about during Michaelmas?" Kitty asked shyly. "It's only a fortnight away."

Bingley nodded seriously and flashed Elizabeth a small smile.

"Might I see the elder Miss Bennets there as well?" he asked cheerfully.

Elizabeth smiled back, knowing that he was talking about Jane.

"You may expect us, Mr. Bingley," she said politely.

Bingley grinned again and looked back at Darcy, who was watching the party with sullen intensity.

"Might I count on seeing your fair sister and gallant cousin as well, Darcy?" he asked.

Darcy nodded once and looked back towards the trees with narrowed eyes.

"I suggest we send the Bennets on their way, Bingley," he said curtly. "It's getting late and I would hate to see them miss supper."

_Yes, and you'd __hate__ for us helpless girls to get eaten on the way_, Elizabeth thought harshly.

Yet, despite herself, there was a small part of Elizabeth that was saddened by how much Darcy underestimated her abilities. For unknown reasons, it was important to her that Darcy realize that she could take care of herself in a fight as well as he could.

_Okay, so maybe the stress of vampire hunting __is__ actually getting to me_, she thought.

Bingley helped hand them into the waiting chaise, with Darcy watching the edge of the trees warily. When Elizabeth's turn came to be handed into the chaise, however, Darcy moved to take her hand from Bingley.

"Remember, no more vampires," he whispered. "Please?"

Elizabeth looked down at him, feeling the heat of his hand against hers. It suddenly occurred to her that it would be strangely comforting to be held by someone else instead of bearing all of the weight herself.

"I can't promise that," she sighed quietly.

Darcy's eyes hardened and he nodded coldly before moving hastily away.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

When Elizabeth Bennet walked through the door of Longbourn and flashed a quick (yet totally fake) smile at the concerned faces of Jane and Mary as they rushed towards her, she was convinced that this horrible excuse for a day couldn't get any worse.

She was wrong. Very wrong.

Elizabeth first noticed that something was wrong when she saw that the concern on her sister's faces wasn't disappearing. Granted, it wasn't everyday that Elizabeth disappeared on a carriage ride due to a vampire, but it wasn't like this was the first time it had happened.

Then she heard the voices coming from underneath the door to her father's library. She recognized two of the voices immediately as they belonged to her parents. Yet it was the third voice that made her blood go cold with dread and caused her lip to curl in disgust.

"… I'm sure that you will love our Lizzie, Mr. Collins," Mrs. Bennet was saying enthusiastically. "She really is a rather brilliant girl, the perfect match for a man as accomplished as you are."

"Thank you, Mrs. Bennet, you are very kind," the third voice said with the silky tone of an experienced suck up. "I'm sure that I would love to meet the Miss Elizabeth. She sounds like the perfect companion for a man of my position."

Elizabeth thought she heard her father snort derisively, although he made no comment. She raised her eyebrows and looked over at Mary and Jane, who were hovering close by her side.

"Mr. Collins is a distant cousin of our father's," Mary whispered softly, trying to make her voice soft enough so that the people inside of the library couldn't hear her. "He is currently applying for a position as a pastor, although the lady of the parish will not allow him to have the position unless he is wed. He thinks that it would be… prudent to marry one of us since he is to inherit Longbourn upon the death of our father."

Elizabeth snorted at the thought of that thing as a pastor, although her eyebrows creased together in a frown at the thought of such a creature controlling their futures.

"Is there any chance of him… leaving?" she asked cautiously, being careful to choose her words carefully.

Mary shrugged and looked at Jane. Jane sighed and shook her head.

"No, chance," she whispered. "Bingley came earlier and invited him to a ball in a fortnight, so he's bound to stay until then."

Elizabeth cursed under her breath and knew for certain that at least one gentleman would not walk away from Bingley's party alive. Whether there was more than one gentleman would depend upon the mysterious Mr. Wickham.

That night, while the rest of the Bennet household was asleep, the door that led to the kitchen was left unlocked by a shadowy figure.

"Come in, my lord," a silky voice that was well accustomed to flattery whispered.

An eerily cool breeze swept past him into the silent household. It passed by the open doors to the Bennet parents and the two youngest sisters without interest, pausing instead by the only locked door in the house that led to the large bedroom of the three older sisters. The creature that paused by the door smiled coldly without a trace of humor. It seemed that these three girls were the only ones with sense in the entire household. Or, they had a little bit of sense; they had forgotten that, no matter how much garlic and silver they put on the door, a vampire could still enter the room if it had been invited inside by another vampire. Which, in this particular case, it had.

The vampire smiled again as it entered the room, passing with studied indifference over the bed of the plain Mary Bennet and the startlingly pretty Jane; he would deal with them once his main target was taken care of.

Mr. Wickham stopped by the bedside of Elizabeth Bennet, a wicked smile twisting his features. With practiced delicacy, he reached out with his mind and wrapped hers in a cocoon of peace. The sleeping girl sighed and rolled towards him, a distant smile on her face. Her passionate mouth parted to form a single word before she sighed again and drifted into the sleep Wickham's spell had created. Wickham's smile widened and he bit back a chuckle.

Well, this was going to be very fun.

With a grace that betrayed his nature, Wickham leaned over the sleeping girl, his fangs already extending.

When the vampire left a few minutes later, his hand brushing absently against his bloodstained mouth, he frowned up at the moon. Elizabeth Bennet, whether she liked it or not, had just become one of the most interesting pieces in his little chess game.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to the awesome Miss Austen. Thanks a lot to all of the people who reviewed. Your feedback and suggestions mean a lot to me.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Mary Bennet sat up slowly in bed, her grey eyes narrowed. She glanced around at her sleeping sisters, trying to see where the source of her unease was coming from. Once again, she wished that she had her sister's gift of seeing vampire auras. It would've made finding traces of the intruder a lot easier.

Mary sighed and walked quietly to Elizabeth's bed, being careful not to wake the members of her family that slept below. She reached out to her older sister and shook Elizabeth's shoulder gently.

"Lizzie," she hissed. "Lizzie, I need your help."

Elizabeth groaned and rolled over, her amber eyes opening blearily. Mary's body locked down in shock, her breath coming out in a low hiss.

Elizabeth frowned and straightened up. She gasped slightly as the room swam around her and reached out to steady herself on the bedpost.

"Mary?" she mumbled sleepily. "Is something wrong?"

Mary pointed wordlessly at the right side of Elizabeth's neck, her hand trembling with fear.

Elizabeth frowned again and touched her neck gently. Then she froze.

The entire right side of her neck was coated with thick blood, blood which seemed to ooze from two large punctures in her skin slightly below her chin line.

"Oh God," she gasped, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

Jane grumbled and rolled over, her eyes opening slightly as she looked at her sisters through tired eyes.

"Mary," she sighed. "Elizabeth, what's going on?"

Elizabeth turned wordlessly, revealing the blood that coated her neck in a thick layer. Jane covered her mouth with her hand, the blood draining from her pale face.

"Lord protect us," she whimpered.

Mary shook herself and tried to get herself together.

"No one will be able to protect us if we don't act quickly," she snapped brusquely. "Now then, from the looks of the blood, Lizzie's bite isn't more that a few hours old. The intruder probably came late at night, maybe after midnight or so, so we still have time. Jane, get the silver and the holy water."

Jane nodded and walked quickly to a small cabinet partially hidden behind the wardrobe in the corner of the room. She opened the door and pulled out several vials of water along with a few silver crosses on thin silver chains and a wooden crucifix. She gathered the items in her arms and crossed quickly to Elizabeth's side. Mary took one of the chains and draped the necklace over Elizabeth's head. Elizabeth winced as the silver burned her skin, but kept her mouth resolutely shut. Mary and Jane grimaced at their sister's pain.

"The vampire put some of his blood in her system," Mary said calmly. "Not enough to change her instantly, but…"

"It's a warning," Elizabeth sighed.

Mary raised her eyebrows but made no comment as she sprinkled the holy water over her sister's head. Jane grabbed the crucifix and gently pressed the cross to Elizabeth's head as the water was absorbed into her skin. Elizabeth held back a whimper and stayed still as Mary wrapped two other chains around her hands. Mary and Jane joined hands and quickly muttered the Lord's Prayer before eyeing their sister. Elizabeth looked back at them grimly.

"Well?" she asked wryly. "Am I going to stay dead if I die?"

Mary smiled tightly and drew the window curtain back, letting in the harsh morning sun. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes against the light but smiled.

"No pain," she sighed with relief. "The light has no effect."

Jane sighed with relief and pressed her sister's hand gently.

"Don't scare us like that again," she said faintly. "Weren't you wearing your cross?"

Elizabeth nodded and held up her wrist to reveal a silver bracelet with a tiny cross charm hanging on the chain.

"I never took it off," she sighed. "Fat lot of good it did me against-."

She broke off abruptly as an idea occurred to her.

"Wickham," she spit. "He's the one who bit me."

"Mr. Wickham?" Mary repeated. "Lydia and Kitty's new beau?"

"He's a vampire, and a very powerful one at that," Elizabeth explained. "He nearly had me until Darcy and Bingley interfered."

Jane frowned, uneasy at how close Bingley had come to a vampire powerful enough to bite Elizabeth.

"You said that the bite was a threat," she said slowly. "Why is he threatening you?"

"Not me," Elizabeth said shortly. "Darcy. I saw how those two looked at each other. They must have some history together. Wickham probably saw us talking when Darcy told me to stay away from vampires and assumed that we…" Elizabeth trailed off, her face red.

Mary snorted and walked away. She started pacing around the room, taking extra care not to be loud enough to wake the others in the household.

"You'll need to stay away from the ball," Mary said shortly.

"Not a chance," Elizabeth argued. "There is no way that I'm staying at home with an unknown vampire in Netherfield and several possible vampires waiting to prey on innocent people."

"At least wear one of the crosses," Jane insisted. "And maybe one my ring while you're at it."

"Jane and I will wear crosses too," Mary agreed, already planning an alternate strategy. "They'll think we're trying to match each other. If we stick together, the extra silver should protect us from the more powerful forms of mind control."

Elizabeth nodded and wondered how many stakes she could hide underneath the tight dress that Lydia and Kitty had chosen for her to wear at the ball.

At that moment, Mrs. Bennet's voice echoed up from the breakfast room.

"Lizzie! Come down here at once! Mr. Collins would like to speak with you."

"Oh, this should be fun," Elizabeth muttered.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Also, thanks to all of the people who reviewed. Sorry about the wait!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Elizabeth slipped into the breakfast room, being careful to keep her back to the wall. Her eyes slid from her mother to Mr. Collins' smug face as she warily approached the table. Mr. Collins smirked at her and nodded his thanks to Mrs. Bennet, who promptly stood up and walked quietly out of the room. Elizabeth swallowed back the urge to retch at the sight of her mother under the control of a vampire and faced Mr. Collins as innocently as she could.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she said demurely, acting like Jane did when she was in a hostile situation.

Mr. Collins smirked again and got up from his chair. Without even bothering to hide his vampire speed, he flashed to Elizabeth's side and yanked the scarf she wore away from the marks on her throat.

"You speak politely for a killer," he said silkily. "It doesn't fit you at all, Miss Elizabeth."

Elizabeth stiffened her jaw clenching.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said with false innocence.

"I think you do, Miss Elizabeth," Collins said shortly. "You're a horrible liar, my dear. Now then, if we could get to the real point of this meeting I would be much obliged. The sunlight is hard on my skin, even though your mother has been kind enough to shut the blinds for me. That visit that you received last night was a warning, Miss Elizabeth. Unless you want a repeat of that meeting, I suggest you consider my request."

"And that request would be what?" Elizabeth asked curtly, giving up the innocent persona.

"I am in need of a wife, Miss Elizabeth," Mr. Collins said, his voice becoming even smoother than it had been. "And I do believe that you would be the perfect candidate."

Elizabeth stared at him for a few moments, unable to speak for a few moments.

"You're insane," she croaked when she could speak again. "And… you're insane."

"I believe you already established that, Miss Bennet," Collins sneered. "Mrs. Bennet!" he called, raising his voice slightly.

Mrs. Bennet bustled in, her eyes dull with the mind control.

"Is something wrong, dear?" she asked sweetly.

Collins darted to her side and grabbed her tightly by the throat. Mrs. Bennet choked but didn't make a sound as the vampire closed his fist around her throat. Elizabeth grabbed her stake from the sleeve of her gown, preparing to strike.

"Hold your weapon, Miss Elizabeth, unless you want her dead," Collins snapped. "Listen closely and make sure that you pay attention. This is what I can do to your family if you refuse my offer, Miss Elizabeth. It will be easy, and I won't even break a sweat doing it. I will give you until the night of Bingley's ball for you to give me an answer to my offer. Should you agree, I will turn you that night and take you away with me as my wife. Should you refuse, well…" Collins tightened his grip around Mrs. Bennet's throat again until the woman coughed with the effort of breathing. "Let's just say that dear Mrs. Bennet won't be the only casualty on that night, and I can just as easily turn you with or without your permission."

Elizabeth didn't move as Collins released her mother and walked out of the door. Mrs. Bennet blinked once before smiling sweetly at Elizabeth.

"Mr. Collins is a fine match, Lizzie, don't let him get away," she said slyly. She winked once and turned away, leaving Elizabeth alone in the room.

Darcy stood stiffly beside Bingley, eyeing the endless receiving line with resignation. He had agreed to attend the stupid ball, had agreed to be polite and actually dance with a few of the ladies tonight, had even agreed to introduce James and Georgiana to some of the idiots who considered themselves eligible matches in this hovel of a country town. What he hadn't agreed to was standing in this accursed receiving line and listening to the brainless country girls as they fawned over Bingley and thanked their host way too many times for inviting them. For the first time in his life, Darcy felt a pang of envy for Caroline, who had retreated into Bingley's parlor with the excuse of a headache shortly before the sun went down. Why hadn't he thought of that excuse?

Darcy looked up as the Bennets approached them in the line. He nodded mutely at the blabbering Mrs. Bennet and her two youngest daughters, his eyes raking over the elder Miss Bennets. He frowned when he saw the thick silver ribbon choker that was wound around Elizabeth's neck. He had seen that style of choker before on women who had been bitten by vampires and tried to hide it. Had Elizabeth been…?

At that moment, the last person in the Bennet line, a short man with a round face and beady black eyes, stepped forward to offer his thanks for being invited his round face pink with delight and expectation, the vampire silver in his aura obvious to Darcy even from where he stood. Darcy fought the urge to draw the silver dagger hidden in his waistcoat, his hands clenching into fists behind his back. Elizabeth shot him a warning look as she paused in front of him and curtsied. Darcy watched the Bennet's go, his jaw working beneath the scowl now plastered on his face.

Bingley rolled his shoulders and grinned at Darcy as the last of the guests poured into the ballroom.

"Ready to dance the night away, Darcy?" he asked brightly.

Darcy smiled tightly.

"I wouldn't use those exact words, Charles," he said quietly.

Darcy walked away from his friend into the crowded ballroom, his eyes scanning the crowds for Elizabeth.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Elizabeth ducked through one of the few open doorways in Netherfield, slipping stealthily away from the lights and music of Bingley's ball… and away from the worried glances and hovering presence of her sisters. Mary and Jane meant well, of course. There was no way she wanted to be a vampire for the rest of her life and only an insane person would want to be alone in a room with Mr. Collins; but they didn't understand. Elizabeth hadn't told them about Collins' threat after her meeting with him in the breakfast room; she hadn't wanted to worry them.

Elizabeth glanced around at the darkened room, noticing for the first time that she had wondered into Bingley's library. Well, this ironic. Like her father, Elizabeth had a great respect for books and all things printed on paper. It would be a real shame to ruin some of these fine volumes all because of a weakling like Collins.

With a sigh, Elizabeth turned away from the door she had come through and settled into one of the wing chairs that adorned the edges of the elegant library. She looked around the room once to make sure that Collins hadn't come into the room before her before burying her face into her hands. To any casual observer, she would seem like a distressed girl who had probably come across problems in her social life. To those who knew her and had been with her on raids, she would be preparing for a fight by removing any distractions.

I heard the door open quietly, heard the slight shuffling as the new arrival moved stealthily towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth kept her head down, concentrating on the sound of the footsteps to plan her first strike. Her hand inched towards the stake hidden in the sleeve of her dress and clasped around the handle reassuringly as whomever it was leaned over the back of her chair…

Warm human hands clasped her shoulders hesitantly, making her jump.

"Elizabeth?" Mr. Darcy's voice asked cautiously. "Are you alright?"

Elizabeth leapt to her feet and whirled to face Darcy, her hands pulling the stake out of her sleeve instinctively. Darcy raised his eyebrows at the stake, an amused smile playing across his face.

"It seems like we keep meeting like this," he murmured. "Do you always carry a stake around with you?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth muttered her face flushing as she lowered the stake.

Darcy reached out hesitantly and pulled the silver choker away from the bite marks on Elizabeth's neck. Elizabeth shivered at the brief contact with his skin but kept her gaze steady. Darcy's hands shook slightly and his gaze hardened imperceptibly as he looked at the two bite marks and gently replaced the ribbon around her neck.

"Who?" he asked. "The man with you?"

Elizabeth shook her head and looked away. She wasn't sure that she wanted to tell Darcy about Mr. Collins' threat either. This was something she had to handle on her own… if she could.

Darcy grabbed her chin gently with his hand and forced her to look at him.

"It was Wickham, wasn't it?" he whispered quietly, guilt creeping into his voice.

Elizabeth started to shake her head but stopped when she saw the look on Darcy's face.

"Darcy-," she began.

"Oh, well, isn't this sweet, Miss Elizabeth," a silky voice interrupted coolly. "I had no idea you had such good tastes."

Elizabeth stiffened and turned back to the doorway where Collins stood, his short figure framed by the orange glow of the candles from the ballroom.

Darcy snarled something under his breath and moved forward, his hand slipping into his waistcoat.

"Careful now, Mr. Darcy of Pemberly," Collins warned silkily. "I'm afraid this isn't your fight at the moment."

Darcy's angry retort was cut off by a strangled scream from the back lawns. Darcy froze in place, his face draining of all color.

"Charles," he choked past the lump in his throat.

"Now it's your fight," Collins chuckled. "Although I'm afraid that I won't be the one to fight you. I'm sure it would be an enjoyable experience, though."

"You want enjoyable?" Elizabeth hissed as she lunged around Darcy, cleanly driving a stake through Collins' chest. "Stop threatening my mother."

Collins choked, his ferrety vampire eyes widening in shock before he collapsed onto the library floor, his body already decaying rapidly.

Elizabeth retrieved her stake calmly and ran out of the library door, only a few steps behind Darcy as he cut through the crowds like a sword. Elizabeth glanced to her right for a moment and tensed briefly as she met a familiar pair of hazel eyes over the heads of a few overly excited girls. Wickham smiled warmly at her and tipped his hat in a salute before disappearing into the shadows.

Elizabeth shuddered and hurried after Darcy, barely noticing when Mary and James joined her. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth Bennet wondered if she was in over her head.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this. all of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks to all of the people who voted for me!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jane Bennet smiled quietly up at the nearly full moon that shone over the Netherfield estate, her hands brushing absently against the branches of a juniper tree as she wandered through the copse of trees.

"Miss Bennet!"

Jane looked behind her, her smile widening as she saw Bingley on the path behind her. Bingley pulled up beside her, his face slightly flushed from the effort of catching up to her, and offered his arm.

Jane accepted the proffered arm with a small chuckle.

"You are such a gentleman, Mr. Bingley," she said with a hint of amusement. "A lady can't even walk through a copse of trees without you coming to her aid."

Bingley blushed and grinned, his brown eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

"I'm afraid my services have less to do with my chivalry and more to do with the scenery, Miss Jane," he admitted. "You happened to be walking through my favorite path on this estate, at my favorite time of the day. It is no wonder that I should want to share this with you."

Jane smiled again and looked back up at the moon, offering a silent thanks to the God above for giving her this moment. Then she drew in a sharp breath as a wave of nausea hit her, followed quickly by a sharp pain in her head. _No, not another vision; not now!_

Jane staggered her grip on Bingley's arm loosening as she slipped into the vision. Bingley caught her as she fell, his skin paling with concern.

"Miss Bennet?" he said nervously. "Miss Jane? Are you alright? Jane."

Jane whimpered slightly, her eyelids fluttering as if she were in a nightmare. She cried out suddenly, her already pale face ghostly as she faced the vampires and bloodshed of her latest vision.

"Jane!" Bingley called again, his voice cracking with strain. "Please, can you hear me?"

"Charles?"

Bingley looked up sharply as his sister Caroline walked through the copse of trees towards him, her white muslin skirt clutched delicately in her hand to keep it out of the dirt.

"Caroline!" Bingley called, relief coloring his tone. "Please, we must get Miss Bennet out of here. I'm afraid she's having a fainting spell…."

Caroline glanced once at Jane Bennet's prone form, her eyebrows rising slightly.

"What a pity," she mused. "I had hoped to take her first. Oh, well."

"Caroline?" Bingley called uncertainly.

Caroline Bingley turned back towards her brother, her brown eyes suddenly silver like the moon.

"I suppose you'll have to do, Charles," she sighed. "Hold still now, if you please."

Bingley staggered back, his arms tightening around Jane.

"Caroline," he stammered weakly. "What are you-?"

Caroline Bingley smiled winningly at her brother, revealing sharp canine fangs that curved wickedly towards her lower lip.

Bingley screamed, his cries echoing across the empty lawn as the vampire lunged for his throat.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the awesome Jane Austen. Thanks again to all of those who reviewed. Also, my apologies to all of the Bingley lovers (and I'm sure there are a lot of you).**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Darcy bolted through the copse of trees that Jane Bennet had walked through just minutes before, his ears straining for any sound of his friend. He opened his mouth to call Bingley's name before quickly snapping it shut. If there was a vampire in the area, it wouldn't do any good for Darcy to draw attention to himself. Darcy froze at a small rustling sound from up ahead, his eyes narrowing in the dim light. He threw out his arm, catching Elizabeth in the stomach as she caught up with him. Elizabeth skidded to a stop, her breath catching, and craned her neck to look past Darcy up the path.

"Do you see anything?" she hissed, her voice almost soundless in the still night air.

Darcy shook his head shortly.

"Listen," he murmured.

Elizabeth cocked her head and frowned as the rustling sound reached her. A vampire that could be heard before it was even seen was a very sloppy vampire indeed; it wasn't a good sign for Bingley's chances of survival. Sloppy vampires tended to mutilate their victims before they could either feed or turn them. For the first time in his life, Darcy found himself praying that the vampire would try to change Bingley. At least then the creature was bound to be more careful when it fed.

Elizabeth edged around Darcy, ignoring his hissed orders to stay back, and moved soundlessly around one of the trees that lined the copse. Her eyebrows drew together as she took in the vampire hunched over Bingley's struggling form and Jane's limp body nearby.

"Caroline?" she mouthed in amazement. She shook her head and drifted silently back to Darcy's side.

"Jane has either been attacked or she's having a vision," she told him brusquely, her cat-eyes tightening with pain as she said the words. "Bingley is the vampire's main concern at the moment. I think she is trying to change him."

Darcy nodded curtly, ignoring the urge to comfort Elizabeth. He didn't know what he would do if Georgiana was in danger like Jane was, but he knew how it would feel. A small part of him that wasn't focused on destroying the vampire before them noted with respect that Elizabeth certainly didn't let her emotions control her at demanding times like other women he knew. Speaking of which…

"Did you say Caroline when you spied on the vampire?" he whispered as they moved stealthily towards the vampire.

Elizabeth nodded shortly, her eyes almost amused.

"It seems that I was wrong about her being a witch," she murmured as he caught his first glimpse of the vampire. "Although I suppose that I was right about her not being human."

Darcy stared in dumb shock at Caroline Bingley as she pulled away from her weakening brother, blood dribbling grotesquely from her fangs. Then he shook the feeling off and tightened his grip around the cane that he had grabbed on his way out of the house.

"Are you seriously going to attack a vampire with a cane?" Elizabeth hissed as she shifted into position beside him.

Darcy smiled thinly and popped the polished onyx head of the cane off of the circular base to reveal a thin silver blade attached to the head.

"Yes," he whispered. Then he lunged.

Caroline whirled around as the two vampire hunters attacked her, her fangs bared in a feline snarl. Elizabeth dodged the vampire's swipes at her face, dancing out of Caroline's reach as she tried to draw the creature's attention away from Bingley and Jane. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth noticed Mary and James as they appeared from their hiding places to retrieve the vampire's two victims and sighed with relief as she turned back to her opponent and aimed another strike at Caroline's throat with one of the two stakes clutched in each of her hands. Darcy ducked nimbly under Caroline's arm and slashed at her with his blade, grunting with satisfaction as the blade left a red welt across the top of the vampire's chest.

Caroline hissed and leapt away from Darcy's blade…

…and fell right onto a stake that drove through her chest like a knife through butter.

Caroline screamed soundlessly and crumpled onto the ground, her skin already graying in the moonlight. Elizabeth and Darcy looked up from the decaying corpse to the bloodied stake clutched in Jane's shaking hands. Jane met her sister's gaze and forced a weak smile onto her pale face.

"I think I'll leave the rest of the vampire killings to you, Lizzie," she said faintly before leaning heavily against Mary's waiting shoulder. Then she looked up at Darcy, her expression abruptly grim. "We can't save Charles. Caroline changed him."

Darcy felt the breath fly out of him. It wasn't until he felt Elizabeth's grip on his arm that he realized that he had stumbled from the shock of the news.

"When will he wake up?" he asked breathlessly.

"Soon," Mary said gravely. "James is with him."

Darcy nodded shakily and shook off Elizabeth's grip on his arm.

"Make sure he doesn't kill anyone," he whispered hoarsely before turning away. "Tell James and Georgiana that I'm going back to London."

"You're leaving?" Elizabeth gasped with disbelief. "When Bingley needs you the most, you leave him to die?"

"He's already dead, Miss Elizabeth. And yes, I'm leaving," Darcy said coldly. "Now, if you will please excuse me, I have to go before the others come looking for us."

He quickened his pace as he walked away from them until Elizabeth could no longer distinguish his wavy dark hair from the suddenly black night sky. She looked down at the place where he had stood, her eyes catching on a flash of silver.

Elizabeth Bennet looked down at the silver blade of Darcy's knife in the fading shadows of the night, feeling as if a part of her had been impaled along with Caroline Bingley.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

James and Georgiana looked up as the Bennet sisters joined them. Elizabeth glanced down at Bingley, noting with a thrill of fear how pale his skin was.

"Where is Fitzwilliam?" Georgiana asked.

Elizabeth grimaced slightly and looked at Mary beseechingly. Mary sighed and moved to James' side, her pale eyes watching Bingley warily.

"Mr. Darcy left. He told us to tell you that he is going back to London," Mary explained shortly. "I'm afraid that the news came as a shock to Lizzie."

Elizabeth glared at Mary, looking hastily away before she could meet Georgiana's questioning gaze. James frowned, his hands hovering around the two stakes strapped to his waist.

"Fitzwilliam left?" he repeated doubtfully. "That isn't like him at all."

"Could've fooled me," Elizabeth muttered.

"My brother may not always act like it, but he is a very loyal friend, Elizabeth," Georgiana told her. "He would not leave Bingley's side if there wasn't a very good reason for him to do so."

"According to your brother, his reason was that Bingley was going to become a vampire," Mary said quietly.

James and Georgiana exchanged looks behind Mary's back. Elizabeth frowned.

"What?" she demanded. "Is there something that you're not telling us?"

"There are a lot of things that the Darcys aren't telling us, Mary," Jane said quietly from her place at Bingley's side. She reached out and brushed a few strands of Bingley's red hair away from his face before looking up at the others.

"And what aren't we telling you, Miss Jane?" James asked carefully, his expression guarded.

Jane shrugged and looked back at Bingley.

"I'm sure you and your brother will tell us when you are ready," she replied calmly.

"The vision?" Elizabeth guessed.

Jane nodded, her eyes tightening as Bingley's eyes fluttered. Elizabeth and Georgiana tensed and exchanged worried looks. James move slightly in front of Mary, his hand gripping his stake tightly.

Bingley groaned slightly, his eyes opening for the first time in half an hour. He tensed visibly as his gaze travelled around the small circle of vampire hunters, his eyes softening when he saw Jane.

"Jane," he croaked as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He blushed suddenly as if he had recollected something. "Uh, I mean, Miss Bennet. I'm so relieved, I thought…. Caroline, she- where is she?"

Jane hesitated and looked over at Mary questioningly. So far, Bingley hadn't shown any signs of vampiric behavior. Did that mean that Caroline's efforts to turn him had failed? But then… how had Bingley survived if he wasn't a vampire?

"Mr. Bingley, do you… remember what happened between you and Caroline?" she asked cautiously.

Bingley frowned, trying to remember.

"Yes," he said slowly. "She attacked me. You had fainted, I think, Miss Bennet, or I think that she would have gone for you. And, Caroline, she-." Bingley's face paled suddenly, his eyes widening with horror. "What-what happened to my sister?"

"I'm afraid that your sister was turned into a vampire," Mary said calmly. "As a matter of fact, Mr. Bingley, judging from the bite marks that were on your throat when we found you, you should be a vampire too."

Bingley stared at her for a few moments, his lips parting in shock.

"A-a vampire?" he gasped. "Are you- is this a joke?"

"I wish," Elizabeth grumbled.

"Mr. Bingley," Georgiana interrupted hastily. "Can you please inform us if you have any cravings for anything in particular… blood, for example?"

Bingley glanced at her, shock giving way to confusion mixed with a tinge of disgust. He opened his mouth to reply, then froze, his gaze flickering back to Jane. Elizabeth glanced at her older sister, the breath flying out of her when she saw the small cut on Jane's wrist. Jane ignored Elizabeth's gaze, her eyes fixed intently on Bingley's expression. Bingley's mouth opened and closed several times, his gaze never leaving the rapidly swelling drop of blood on Jane's pale wrist.

"Oh God," he gasped. "Oh, my God."

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Jane sighed resignedly.

Bingley leapt to his feet and moved quickly away from Jane, his eyes widening with terror.

"Interesting," Mary mused. "It seems that we are witnessing the first ever vampire with a conscience."

James nodded, his hand finally moving away from the stake at his belt.

"I think that I should go and find my cousin," he sighed. He looked over at Mary, his sea-blue eyes cautious. "Will you think about my offer?"

Mary blushed, her eyes flickering towards her sisters warily.

"I- yes," she whispered shyly.

"Yes, you will consider it, or yes you agree to it?" James asked, a sly smile playing across his face.

"Yes, I… agree to it," Mary sighed.

James grinned and clasped her hand briefly, his eyes flickering towards their audience shyly. Then he stood up abruptly and slipped off into the trees, his hands hovering once more at the stakes on his belt.

"Are you coming Georgiana?" he called.

Georgiana Darcy nodded and stood up gracefully. She smiled slightly at Elizabeth and pressed a slip of paper into her hand as she passed.

"Please promise that you will come and visit me at Pemberley, Miss Elizabeth," she pleaded.

Elizabeth hesitated, her thoughts flickering to Georgiana's brother for a moment.

"I- I'll see what I can do, Georgiana," she said finally. "Just give me some time to get things together here."

Georgiana nodded knowingly and walked after her cousin.

"Take care of Mr. Bingley, Miss Jane," she called over her shoulder. "I'm sure he's going to need you by his side a lot more now."

Jane nodded, her cheeks red, and waved as Georgiana's gold hair disappeared into the darkness.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The rapidly fading moon looked down coolly at the shadow-covered hills and forests that surrounded Hertfordshire. Slowly, individual stars blinked out of existence for the night, and to the east the first pink rays of sunlight were just now bathing the eastern walls of Netherfield in a ruby-red glow.

Standing on a particularly high hill that allowed him to view most of Hertfordshire with a neat sweep of his eyes, Fitzwilliam Darcy tightened his grip on the reins of his horse and hoped that Bingley was inside. Much as he detested the fact that his best friend had been turned into the very creatures that he had sworn to kill less than two hours ago, Darcy still couldn't bring himself to wish that Bingley was dead. A world where Charles Bingley didn't exist was a dark world indeed. A world without another vampire that was in his acquaintance, on the other hand…

"Are you plotting to kill me, Darcy?" Wickham asked mockingly from the shelter of a copse of trees.

Darcy sighed and turned back to face the man that he hated above all others.

"You and I both know why I can't, Wickham," he said resignedly. "Although right now I sincerely wish that I could."

Wickham smirked and leaned casually against an especially shaded tree trunk, careful to keep his skin out of range of the rapidly brightening sunlight.

"Too true, Darcy," he sighed with mock regret. "I guess that proves that you haven't forgotten about our first little rendezvous, then. What a shame, I was hoping to remind you…"

"Oh, so Caroline Bingley's transformation wasn't reminder enough?" Darcy snapped, his patience going dangerously low. "From what I recall, you did the same thing to my uncle before setting him on my father, and you attempted to do the same to Georgiana last summer."

"Miss Caroline was merely a warning, Darcy," Wickham said mildly. "If I wanted to remind you of what happened between us, I would no doubt use other, more effective means. I assume you remember my first attempt on your father's life?"

Darcy's jaw clenched at the reminder. Shortly after Georgiana's birth, Wickham had turned Darcy's mother into a vampire in an attempt to kill his father, Fitzwilliam Darcy Senior. Wickham had planned on Mr. Darcy's love for his wife to make him reluctant to kill the vampire as she attempted to kill him and his two young children. Mr. Darcy had killed his wife on sight. The experience had driven Mr. Darcy from vampire hunting altogether, and had later lead to his being unable to recognize Wickham as a vampire when he had showed up at Pemberley with a request for a job. Darcy's father had later died when his brother, James' recently turned father, had attacked him in front of Darcy and forced the young 15 year-old to kill his uncle with an improvised stake.

"I see from your expression that you remember quite well, Darcy," Wickham noted with amusement. "I wonder, Darcy, whether you would be able to kill someone so dear to you like your father did?"

"It would be hard for me to do so, Wickham, seeing as I do not have someone who means as much to me as my mother did to my father," Darcy said tightly.

Wickham's eyebrow rose and he sneered at Darcy.

"Really?" he whispered silkily. "I do believe the young Miss Elizabeth disagrees, Darcy. She must hold you in very high esteem… although, I wonder if she will admit it to herself yet…"

Elizabeth. Darcy's thoughts flashed back to the bite marks that he had seen on Elizabeth's neck at Bingley's ball. His lips curled in a snarl that rivaled that of Caroline's before she had been killed.

"Damn you, Wickham," he growled, his hands flying to the stake attached to his belt. "If you touch her again, I swear I'll-."

"You'll what Darcy?" Wickham asked dangerously. "Kill me? Do you not remember the agreement we made last summer? Or would you trade dear Georgiana's life for Elizabeth's?"

"The agreement, Wickham, was that you would not change Georgiana so long as I gave you some of my own blood," Darcy hissed furiously.

"And as you no doubt remember, the exchange of blood prevents you from killing me," Wickham jeered. "And if you try to kill me, Darcy, I'm afraid that the consequences would be very unfortunate for you and your dear sister after you are gone."

"Stay away from the Bennets, Wickham," Darcy snarled. "Or I will kill you, consequences be damned."

Wickham cocked his head and observed his long time enemy for a long moment, his eyes narrowing.

"We shall see, Darcy," he purred. "Have fun in London."

And with that, the vampire disappeared into the shadows and away from the risen sun.

The ballroom at Netherfield was emptying rapidly as all of the Bingley's guests stumbled out of the door in a state of pleasant semi-consciousness that could only come from a long night of dancing and drinking. Bingley leaned against the marble pillar in his recently deserted ballroom, only to jump hurriedly away from it as a stray sunbeam trickled through the thick curtains that had recently been drawn around the large bay windows that had been stupidly placed around the room. Mere hours after his transformation, his throat was burning like the fire crackling merrily in the hearth at the side of the room from the scents of so many peoples' blood.

"Hurry girls," Mrs. Bennet called to her three older daughters from the foyer, her strained voice easily audible to Bingley with his newly improved hearing. "Come on now, don't dawdle. Think of my poor nerves! I should be in bed by now; Lord knows why I let myself stay out this late… Come on, Jane!"

"Mother, Miss Bingley has requested our company at Netherfield for a few days," Jane said sweetly, her voice making Bingley smile even in the midst of his suffering. "Can we not please begin our stay tonight?"

There was a pause as Mrs. Bennet's thirst for the marriage of her daughters battled with her propriety. Apparently, the thirst for marriage won out.

"Very well, my dears," she simpered. "Mr. Bennet will send some of your things over once we have become settled at home, won't you Mr. Bennet?"

Mr. Bennet grunted; still not quite awake enough to argue with his wife.

There was a final shuffle of footsteps and the sound of the door closing and then all was silent in Netherfield.

Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary walked quietly into the ballroom. Bingley dismissed the curious servants with a gesture and turned away from the ever brightening windows.

"Are you sure that you want to stay with me?" he asked hesitantly, trying to keep himself from focusing on the blood that pulsed beneath their skin. "I still do not know if I am safe or not…"

"Neither do we, for that matter," Mary said bluntly. "That's partially why we are staying."

"Besides," Jane added hastily. "It wouldn't to leave you to deal with this alone. We are here for you, Mr. Bingley."

Bingley smiled tightly and motioned for one of the waiting servants to come forward.

"See that the Miss Bennets are situated comfortably," he ordered politely. "They may be here for a while."

Elizabeth glanced at the curtained windows of the ballroom, almost wishing that she could see past them to wherever Mr. Darcy was. She remembered Georgiana's offer to visit at Pemberley and bit her lip. How long would she be here?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, all of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Mr. Bennet glanced out of the small, square shaped window of the cramped carriage that he had rented. He squinted his eyes underneath his wire-rimmed glasses at the jolting landscape that went past the window, his green eyes, so like Elizabeth's, narrowing warily as they swept over the shadows of the thick trees that dotted the fields and mountains around Derbyshire.

_You have a nice place, Mr. Darcy_, he thought wryly. _What a pity it is that I shall probably never see it again._

The thought made him frown for what was perhaps the tenth time today. He gave a small twitch of the purple hangings that were draped lazily across the window, moving the soft fabric so that it hid the beautiful scenery from sight. His thoughts drifted away from the bumpy road of Derbyshire homeward, dwelling on the two daughters he had left at Netherfield and the other daughter who was out 'travelling' with Charlotte Lucas. He didn't believe for a second that Elizabeth was doing some idle vacationing with her friend Charlotte. More likely, she was trying to track down one of the vampires who had crashed Bingley's ball. In some ways, he envied his three eldest daughters. He envied their youth and the strength that came with being young, the strength that allowed them to fight the vampires and win. Yet in other ways…. In other ways it worried him to have the girls so close to vampires. He knew that Charles Bingley wasn't a threat…yet, but it still worried him that Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth (especially Jane) hadn't left been away from his house for more than a fortnight since Netherfield's last ball, a few months ago. Of course, his wife had different reasons for worrying, reasons of propriety, but propriety wasn't an issue if you were dead.

The carriage jolted to a sharp stop in front of Bennet's destination. The driver of the carriage leapt nimbly down from his seat at the front and came around to open the aging man's door for him.

"Pemberley estate, sir," he said politely. "Would you like for me to alert Mr. Darcy of your presence, sir?"

"That would be splendid, thank you Simmons," Bennet said calmly as he walked slowly up the ornate walk that lead to Darcy's front door.

Simmons ran ahead of his employer to knock politely at the large front door of Pemberley mansion, his cap held lightly in his hands. A servant dressed smartly in the Darcy livery opened the door, casting a skeptical eye over the dusty driver and the old man who was limping slowly up the pathway.

"Can I help you, sir?" the servant asked politely, his sharp eyes resting on the older man, who was obviously in charge.

"Yes," Mr. Bennet said calmly as he slowly ascended the few stairs that led up to the door. "Would you please tell the master of this house that Mr. Bennet wishes to speak with him?"

The servant's eyebrows rose and he looked over the older man with renewed interest.

"Are you a friend of Mr. Darcy, sir?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, you could say that," Bennet replied with a trace of amusement. "Although I'm afraid that he is more familiar with my daughters than he is with me."

The servant's bushy eyebrows disappeared into his fly-away gray hair and he stepped away from the door, allowing Mr. Bennet through into the large marble entrance hall. Bennet looked up at the frescoed ceiling of the hall with appreciation and followed the servant into a richly decorated parlor with comfortable wing chairs and a scarlet plush rug.

_I wish I could see his library_, he thought with a slight pang. _It must be filled with books._

A young girl with a head of golden hair and warm ice-blue eyes walked into the parlor, her expression shy and reserved. Bennet smiled kindly at her, encouraging her to speak.

"M-my brother will be with us shortly," she stammered quietly. "Is there anything that I can get for you?"

Mr. Bennet shook his head, a small smile still playing across his face.

"No thank you, Miss Darcy," he told her gently. "Although, I would be much obliged if you would allow me to speak with your brother alone."

"Is there anything wrong?" the girl asked, suddenly nervous. "Is Miss Elizabeth alright? What about Miss Mary? And Miss Jane?"

"I assure you, all of my daughters are fine, Miss Darcy," Bennet said soothingly. _As far as I know_, he added mentally. Lizzie hadn't sent him a letter just yet, but Mary and Jane didn't seem worried, so he assumed that she was alright.

Darcy's sister nodded, barely hiding her relief, and slipped out of the room as heavy footsteps sounded on the marble grand staircase in the hall way. Bennet strained his ears to catch a few whispered words between the Darcy siblings before Mr. Darcy himself entered the room.

"Mr. Bennet," he greeted him politely. "To what do I owe this great honor?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, Mr. Darcy, but I really must speak with you."

Darcy nodded, his ice-blue eyes, so like his sister's, tightening.

"Is everything alright with your daughters?" he asked stiffly.

Apparently, concern for the Bennet sisters ran in the family.

"My daughters are fine, Mr. Darcy," Bennet assured him. "I'm afraid the real reason that I have come to disturb you is that I have a question for you."

Darcy nodded for Bennet to continue, his expression wary.

"Mr. Darcy, what is your connection to Mr. Wickham?" Bennet asked bluntly.

Darcy stiffened, his hands clenching into fists.

"I am afraid that I don't quite get what you are saying, Mr. Bennet," he said curtly.

"I think that you do, Darcy," Bennet replied coolly as he leaned forward in his seat. "I think that you must have known Mr. Wickham very well, given the fact that you refuse to kill him."

Darcy whirled around to stare at him, his eyes widening.

"What did you just say, Mr. Bennet?" he asked warily.

"I am perfectly aware of the existence of vampires, Mr. Darcy," Bennet said calmly. "Who do you think gave my girls the idea that they existed in the first place?"

Darcy stared at him, his expression shifting to something that Bennet could easily identify.

"I realize that you probably don't approve of how I am putting my daughters in danger, Mr. Darcy," Bennet said mildly. "And I assure you that I have thought of the same things lots of times over the years. However, since I am too old to effectively fight vampires, and my family needs me alive to provide for themselves, I have been forced to hand over my skills to my three most effective girls in order to keep my town safe."

Darcy nodded slowly, his expression still slightly disapproving.

"What is it that you need to know?"

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Darcy paced the tasteful Persian rug that covered the floor of his private study, his blue eyes flickering towards the walls paneled with dark cherry and maple; his feet automatically carrying him around the stylish wing chairs that dotted the area in front of his dark oak desk. Mr. Bennet watched him pace, his green eyes- so like Elizabeth's- watching him intently.

"Are you going to answer my question, Mr. Darcy?" he asked a trace of amusement hidden in his tone.

Darcy stopped pacing abruptly, a small sigh breaking through his lips.

"I am afraid that you will have to be patient with me, Mr. Bennet," he said resignedly. "The question that you have posed to me brings up many… difficult memories."

"I understand this, Mr. Darcy. However, I am afraid that I cannot be too patient with you today as the lives of my daughters may depend on it."

Darcy looked at Bennet sharply, his eyes hardening.

"I thought that you had said that your daughters were fine, Mr. Bennet," he said tightly.

"For the moment, yes," Bennet sighed. "Although I cannot be sure how long that will last. As you are no doubt aware, my three eldest daughters have been caring for Mr. Bingley ever since his transformation a few months ago. Now, this is just a guess on my part, but I am quite sure that Mr. Wickham had something to do with this?"

Darcy nodded his expression stormy.

"And is it also correct that you came across this same vampire while he was in the company of Lydia, Kitty, and Elizabeth?"

Darcy nodded again, his eyes suddenly downcast.

"And yet you did not kill him?"

"Understand that I wanted to, Mr. Bennet," Darcy replied curtly. "For many years, it has been my dearest wish to see him die. However, due to… unavoidable circumstances, I have been unable to do so for as many years."

"And why is that, Mr. Darcy?" Bennet asked easily. He leaned over Darcy's desk, his fingers lacing together delicately. Ridiculously, Darcy felt like he was in a psychiatrist's office.

"Mr. Bennet, please understand that when I first met Mr. Wickham, he killed my father by turning my uncle into a vampire," Darcy said wearily. "Wickham also turned my mother two years ago shortly after Georgiana's birth, although I was unaware of vampires at that time of my life. When my uncle- or, the creature that my uncle had become, killed my father, he did so in front of me. The sight of my father's corpse enraged me, and I killed my uncle on the spot with one of my father's stakes. I was fifteen years old." Darcy paused, momentarily overcome by the memories. Bennet waited, his eyes softening slightly as he listened to Darcy's story.

"Wickham himself came later that night," Darcy continued heavily. "He had planned on hearing from my uncle if he succeeded, and when he did not return he assumed that my father had killed her as he had killed my mother. When he arrived in my father's study, he saw me crouched on the ground over my uncle's body, a bloody stake still clutched in my hand."

As he spoke the words, Darcy saw the images again as they flashed through his brain.

"_Who are you?" the teenage Darcy asked Wickham warily, his blue eyes still rimmed with red from the tears he had shed._

_Wickham cocked his head, staring intently at the boy before him. His eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled, revealing perfect teeth that sharpened into deadly points at the ends._

_Darcy gasped and lunged at the vampire, the stake pointed out in front of him._

"Wickham defeated me easily when I tried to kill him," Darcy whispered. "He took away my weapon and bound me with the cord from the curtains in the study. Then he went to get Georgiana."

Bennet felt his breath catch as he remembered the golden-haired girl from before, the one who had seemed so concerned about the Bennet sisters. Darcy looked up at Bennet, his eyes pleading.

"She was only three," he croaked. "She was barely a child. Wickham offered me a deal: my life, for Georgiana's. She seemed so scared… she didn't even realize what had happened yet. I agreed.

"Wickham released me and bound Georgiana in my stead. He started to drink from me. I waited until he had taken enough of my blood to make me dizzy before I broke away. Vampires, especially Wickham, get very vulnerable when they are drinking blood, especially when they drink a lot. I managed to grab my stake and drive it into his shoulder before he could recover enough to escape. He left my house then and I took Georgiana away from there as quickly as I could. We lived with my cousin James, whose father had also been turned, until I was eighteen and old enough to legally inherit Pemberley from my father. All three of us have been training to defeat vampires since the death of my parents."

Darcy looked up at Bennet, finally meeting the man's eyes.

"I never told them about what Wickham did to me," he admitted softly. "I didn't want to burden them with my troubles."

"Troubles?" Bennet repeated sharply. "Surely he didn't turn you?"

"I wasn't as experienced as your daughters are at reversing the effects of vampire bites, Mr. Bennet," Darcy sighed. "I managed to halt the effects before they changed me into a vampire, although I avoided Georgiana and James for a week to make sure that I wouldn't go after their blood, and it was nearly a month before I could walk out into the sunlight again without experiencing discomfort.

"However, there were some effects that lasted longer, effects that I still have to live with. I cannot kill a vampire without feeling their pain; if I stake them, I feel their agony as the wood rips through them. I can bear with the pain in most circumstances, but with Wickham it is different. Because my bond to him was created through a physical exchange of blood, our connection would make the pain that I experience when I kill vampires unbearable, perhaps enough to kill me. Wickham is aware of the connection, and has been since my first attempt at killing him eight years ago. I was more successful in my attempts to kill him then, the stake nearly reached his heart when I drove it through his chest. However, the pain that I experienced nearly killed me along with him and allowed Wickham to escape once more. I was unconscious for nearly a fortnight before Georgiana and James were able to revive me.

"I have tried to maneuver things so that James could kill him (Georgiana has never killed before, and I don't intend to have her start now), but he was too inexperienced to even come close to Wickham before he disappeared. Later, when Wickham tried to change Georgiana last summer, James had another chance to kill him but failed. The next time I saw him was in the company of Miss Elizabeth and her sisters."

Bennet was silent for a long while after Darcy had finished, his eyes focusing on something far away. The silence stretched on as the two men struggled through images that neither of them wanted to have in their heads. Darcy broke the silence first.

"Mr. Bennet," he said finally, his voice still hoarse from his tale. "May I ask now why you came here to ask me these things?"

Bennet looked up, his green eyes abruptly sad.

"Mr. Darcy, I am sure that you remember my saying that I am not sure how long my daughters will remain safe. My daughter Elizabeth has been travelling across Hertfordshire since your departure, and I assume that she is doing this to search for Wickham and destroy him. My Lizzie never has been one to let a vampire go without attempting to kill it and I think that now, in the aftermath of Bingley's ball, she feels that it is her responsibility to destroy him. In asking you to repeat your history, I have been trying to find a weakness of Wickham's that would allow my daughters to kill him, yet I cannot find one. It makes me worry for Lizzie, and Jane and Mary too if she fails. Lizzie's sisters are not the type of people to let the murderer of their sister go."

Darcy's face paled and his eyes widened with fear.

"Mr. Bennet, you cannot allow your daughters to go after Wickham. He is too powerful for all three of them combined, much less Elizabeth by herself."

"I am fully aware of what the consequences could be, Mr. Darcy," Bennet said coolly. "I am also aware of your feelings for my daughter, however well you try to hide them."

Darcy's mouth fell open. He closed his lips once, than opened them again. No sound escaped his suddenly blocked throat. Bennet smirked slightly.

"I though so," he murmured. "I was wondering, Mr. Darcy, if you were intending on acting on these feelings?"

Darcy shook his head mutely, his eyes closing briefly as if he felt faint.

"I can't," he whispered. "If we were- My life is too dangerous to be shared with any woman. Miss Elizabeth deserves a normal life, one that is filled with peace and devoid of the dangers of vampires. I couldn't take that from her."

"You know as well as I do that my Lizzie will never have a normal, peaceful life, no matter how much you fight your feelings for her," Bennet retorted curtly. "If you think that treating her like any other woman would want to be treated, you do not know my daughter as much as I thought you did, and are therefore unfit to even think of marrying her."

Darcy gaped at Bennet once again. Marry? Elizabeth? He hadn't even thought of- had he?

"Mr. Darcy," Bennet sighed. "I really must go back to my home, whether you come with me or not, so I am afraid I only have time to say one last thing."

"And what is that, Mr. Bennet?" Darcy asked warily.

"I can only tell you this, Mr. Darcy: If you come with me and help my girls, you may die, or you may not. However, if you do not help them, I can assure you that my Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth will all die; and I will not be far behind them if they do."

The hired carriage lurched down the path away from Pemberley, its covered windows flashing in the light of the setting sun. The rust-red paint glistened like new against the shiny green leaves of the trees of Derbyshire. A single white dove flew over the carriage, as if to say farewell to the man travelling within. Mr. Bennet glanced out of the window to look at the ever shrinking figure of Mr. Darcy and his sister as they watched him leave from the steps of Pemberley and sighed.

"I really do wish I could have seen his library," he said regretfully. "I'm sure it would have been great."

A mile or so behind him, Darcy turned away from Bennet's retreating carriage and strode briskly into the mansion house.

"Fitzwilliam?"

Darcy turned at the sound of his sister's voice, his expression almost guilty. Georgiana cocked her head, her expression troubled.

"Fitzwilliam, are you really going to let Miss Elizabeth die?" she asked in a small voice.

Darcy couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you were listening," he sighed.

"You should have told me about what happened with you and Wickham," was all she said in reply. There was a pause. "Well?" she prompted. "Are you really going to let them die?"

Darcy turned away and called into the nearly deserted entry hall.

"Mr. Woods."

"Yes, sir?" a young man dressed smartly in the Darcy livery walked quickly into the hall.

"Please have my horse ready for me as soon as possible," Darcy said shortly.

Georgiana grinned, her eyes shining with pride for her brother.

"You're going to have to tell James, you know," she reminded him good-naturedly. "He's been impatient to get back to Miss Mary ever since we left."

Darcy nodded formally and called another set of orders towards Woods as he left the hall. Once the servant was gone, he pulled his sister into a short hug and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I shall tell you once we arrive in Hertfordshire," he promised.

"Fitzwilliam?" Georgiana whispered, sounding suddenly very young. "Promise me that you will come back."

Darcy looked down at his younger sister, his eyes serious.

"I will not leave you alone, Georgiana," he promised.

"That's not the same thing," she murmured as he ran off towards the stable.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Lizzie, you must come and see this!"

Elizabeth looked up automatically from the trail that she had been investigating, her green eyes narrowing at the sound of Charlotte's voice.

"If it's another man, Char, I am not coming," she called wearily.

Charlotte Lucas's face moved out from behind one of the large oak trees that dotted the landscape of Kent, her plain face crinkling into a not-so-plain smile. Elizabeth wondered for what was perhaps the thousandth time how people could be so blind as to call her closest friend plain.

"But Lizzie, theses ones are very handsome," Charlotte whined cheerfully, trying very hard not to laugh at the disgusted expression on her friend's face. "And they are in uniform."

"Trust me, I have had enough experience with men in uniform," Elizabeth replied, thinking of Wickham with a grimace. _Besides, there is only one man who I want to see right now, and he's not in uniform_, a sly voice inside of her head added. Elizabeth pushed the voice away as she straightened up, looking with disappointment at the dead trail. She had so hoped… but it was a dead end. He had not been there.

She had left the vicinity of Hertfordshire no more than a few days ago in the company of Charlotte. The excuse that she had given her mother was that she was going to visit Charlotte's cousin in Kent. The excuse she had given to Jane, Mary, and Mr. Bingley was that she had a lead on the location of the person behind Bingley's transformation. Both of those excuses had been lies.

Charlotte walked over to Elizabeth's side, sensing her friend's distress. She stooped over the trail that Elizabeth had abandoned, her black eyes narrowing slightly in concentration.

"Find anything?" she asked, slightly uneasy.

Elizabeth shook her head, mentally wondering if bringing Charlotte along had been the right decision. Granted, she had needed Charlotte's presence to make the excuse believable to her mother and younger sisters, but she could easily have just left Charlotte at the first inn that they passed with all of the money that Elizabeth had brought with her. And yet, for reasons that Elizabeth was trying to justify to herself, she had not only brought her friend with her, but had also told her about the actual cause behind their trip and the existence of vampires. Charlotte had taken things pretty well, considering that she had always led a basically normal life before this moment. Elizabeth wondered if the fact that Charlotte had always enjoyed watching romances play out was helping her deal with the mission itself. Regardless, Elizabeth just hoped that Charlotte would follow her part of the plan and make it back to Jane and Mary. Three vampire hunters were always better than two, after all.

Elizabeth shook her head and turned away from the path that they had been following through the woods for the better part of the day. She frowned at nothing in particular and avoided Charlotte's probing gaze. She was usually so good at tracking… what had she done wrong this time? She had thought that the scent had led…. Wait.

Elizabeth sucked in a sharp breath as she realized her mistake. Of course, the scents would be mixed, wouldn't they? She pulled out the small silver dagger that she had been carrying around with her for months now and closed her eyes with concentration, focusing on the aura that was still coming off of the metal in waves, even though the last time it had been touched had been… well, she wasn't going to dwell on that night.

Elizabeth opened her eyes once again, seeing the trail once more. Yes, just as she had thought, it was leading the other way. Her fist tightened around the dagger, feeling a slight pain in her palm as the blade cut through the skin. She almost smiled in satisfaction as a trickle of blood ran down her arm from the cut, although Charlotte winced at the sight and turned away. This was just a sample, she supposed. It would be much worse by the time the day had ended. Elizabeth glanced over at her friend for a moment before turning away. Her hands slipped into the sleeve of her dress to pull out a small flask. She uncorked the flask and took a quick swig of the liquid inside of it, grimacing with distaste as the silver-tinted holy water trickled down her throat. Silently, she thanked Mary for making the discovery a fortnight before she had left. The sisters had originally been planning on trying to find a way to use it to reverse Bingley's transformation, but the mixture used as it was would certainly enable Elizabeth to see her plan through. She just hoped the effects would give him enough time…

Elizabeth turned back to Charlotte, wiping the remnants of the mixture off of her mouth hastily as she did. Better for Charlotte to think that she was too fond of wine than to have her know Elizabeth's actual plan.

"Charlotte, do you remember what I told you?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

Charlotte glanced sharply at her friend, suddenly nervous.

"Yes," she said warily.

"I need you to do that now," Elizabeth said carefully.

Charlotte's lips trembled slightly as she nodded. Suddenly, she ran to Elizabeth's side, pulling her friend into a tight hug as she did. Elizabeth stiffened slightly at the contact before hugging Charlotte back tightly.

"Make sure my sisters are okay," she whispered before turning away.

With a barely audible sigh of resignation, Elizabeth turned away from her friend and darted back onto the trail, her red-brown hair swirling behind her as she disappeared.

Mary was the first to hear the door open, which was odd since she was in the library. She usually got completely absorbed in her books in the library, so absorbed that a war could take place right out side of her window and she would never notice. Perhaps there was something to be said about having the library so close to the door?

Whatever the reason, Mary quietly shut the book she had been reading and walked warily to the entry hall to open the door. Bingley had dismissed all of the servants on paid vacations soon after he had been changed, so most of the house's needs were taken care of by the three current inhabitants. So it was that Mary happened to open the door when the creature attacked.

Mary heard a loud crack as she slammed into the wall, realizing a moment later that the crack had come from her head. Stars erupted in front of her eyes and she fought for consciousness as she fumbled for the stake in her sleeve. The vampire snarled as the stake cut its way into his shoulder and snapped at her throat. Mary pulled back weakly, her head still dizzy from the impact between her head and Bingley's wooden walls and attempted to strike again, only to be blocked by the vampire's snapping fangs. Dimly, she could hear Jane's screams and Bingley's shouts, along with the sounds of more scuffling from behind her. Was there more than one vampire?

The vampire pushed its way past Mary's defenses, its teeth finally making contact with her skin. Mary screamed as the sharp fangs pierced her neck….

"Oh, no you don't," a familiar voice snarled just before the vampire howled in pain and went limp.

Mary slipped limply to the floor of Netherfield, her eyesight fuzzy, only to be held up by strong arms.

"Mary," someone whispered frantically into her ear. "Miss Mary, are you alright?"

Mary's eyes fluttered- she hadn't known that she had closed them- and she struggled to open them. The pain in her head was dimming…

"Mary, please," the person begged, his voice cracking slightly. "Please, answer me. Wake up. Please." His voice broke on the last word. Mary felt the arms tighten around her.

Mary moaned suddenly as the pain came back to her in a wave, her eyes flying open in shock at the feeling. James Fitzwilliam's face swam into focus, his sea-blue eyes swimming with some strong emotion. A raw sigh broke past his tightly closed lips, the color returning slightly to his pale skin.

"Miss Mary," he sighed relief, returning abruptly to a more formal tone. "I- you- we- that is-." His sentence broke off abruptly as he frowned with frustration.

"Where are my sister and Mr. Bingley?" Mary asked past the pounding in her head.

"They are fine," Darcy's voice said calmly from across the hall. "Bingley did a good job of protecting Miss Jane. Between him and James, I didn't have a chance to do anything." He seemed to be in an unusually good mood. Mary wondered if he knew that Elizabeth was gone.

"Miss Mary," James cried with alarm when she tried to sit up. "You shouldn't-."

"I think that I preferred it when you called me Mary," Mary said softly. Then she looked over at Mr. Darcy. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came looking for Miss Elizabeth," he answered quickly. "Well, I did. I thought that it would be a good idea to start here. Do you know where she is?"

Mary looked over at Jane, whose new muslin gown was probably permanently soiled from the fight with the vampires. Bingley crouched beside her on the ground, his eyes still blazing from the fight. Jane met her sister's gaze, her eyes still frightened from her experience.

Jane opened her mouth to answer Darcy just as the door burst open and Charlotte Lucas burst in, her thin face flushed and frantic.

"We have a problem," she gasped.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit goes to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed! You guys rock!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Jane Bennet leaned weakly against the wood paneled wall of Bingley's library, her eyes watching Darcy warily as he paced restlessly around the room. Beside her, Bingley watched his friend through concerned eyes, his shoulders tense.

Charlotte Lucas sat in one of the large armchairs that were scattered around the room, her thin face worried as she glanced around at the people around her. A little ways away from her, Mary sat calmly at the desk she had been occupying before the attack, her hands deftly turning the pages of an older book with a fraying black cover. James stood at her side, his head slightly bent over Mary's shoulder, his brows knitted in concentration as he tried to read the tiny print. Occasionally, he glanced up at his cousin, his frown deepening when he saw the stress that Darcy was in.

It was Jane who finally broke the tense silence that had pervaded since Charlotte's arrival.

"Who was it that attacked us?" she asked, trying hard not to flinch as Darcy looked at her sharply.

James shrugged and looked over at his cousin. When it became clear that Darcy was not going to answer, he looked back at the eldest Bennet sister.

"I don't know who those vampires were, Miss Bennet," James said slowly. "However, I do not think that the attack was random."

"Of course it wasn't," Darcy snapped, breaking his silence at last. "They were probably sent to get rid of the Bennet sisters and Mr. Bingley."

"Do you think that Wickham was behind it?" James asked.

Darcy shrugged, although his eyes tightened in response to Wickham's name.

"Do you think they were after us specifically or were they after someone else?" Mary wondered aloud.

It was Bingley's turn to frown.

"Surely they must have known that Miss Elizabeth had left town," he murmured. "She has been gone for close to a week."

"Which leads us to another question," Darcy interrupted. "If Miss Elizabeth had left Hertfordshire in the company of Miss Lucas, why is Miss Lucas here now without Elizabeth?"

Charlotte fidgeted in her seat as all eyes turned on her.

"I- Elizabeth told me to come back here," she stuttered nervously. "She told me that there were parts of her journey that she had to do alone… She wanted me to stay with her sisters incase something should happen to her."

"In case what should happen to her?" Darcy growled.

"Why did she want you to stay with us?" Jane wondered at the same time.

Charlotte's face went red and she fidgeted some more.

"Lizzie told me about the vampires," she murmured. The Bennet sisters froze their eyes wide. "She wanted told me that three vampire hunters stood a better chance than two," Charlotte continued. "I was supposed to join you if-." Charlotte's voice broke off suddenly and she ducked her head. The others watched her in silence, already knowing the rest of the sentence.

"Why would Lizzie do such a thing?" Jane asked concern now eminent on her face. "She was the most adamant about telling others that vampires exist. She wouldn't even tell Papa."

"She must not expect to come back," Mary stated, her calm expression barely masking the panic that was rising within her. "That's why she sent Charlotte; she is Lizzie's replacement."

"Miss Elizabeth will not be replaced," Darcy snapped. He turned to face Charlotte, his blue eyes like ice. "Did she tell you where she was going?"

Charlotte shook her head.

"No, only that she was looking for someone."

"Did you ever find out whom that someone was?" James broke in.

Charlotte shook her head again, and then reconsidered.

"She was looking for a man," she said slowly. "Not a vampire, I think, although the man must have been captured by vampires to make Lizzie that worried."

Darcy's expression hardened and he turned away for a moment. Had Elizabeth found someone else while he was away?

"Why would Lizzie go looking for someone without us?" Mary wondered, slightly offended. "She more than anyone knows how dangerous a rescue mission can be. How could she attempt to do that alone? Why would she attempt it alone?"

"Did Miss Elizabeth give you any more information about the purpose of her journey?" James asked Charlotte politely.

Charlotte thought for a moment.

"Lizzie said something about a message a few times," she said. "I'm not sure what it meant, but I think that whatever the message was, it's what told her that the man was taken."

Darcy frowned and exchanged a look with James. He opened his mouth to add something when Mary cried out, her eyes widening as she stared at the pages of her book.

James was beside her in a moment, his own eyes going blank with shock as Mary lifted a slightly flattened envelope off of one of the back pages of the book.

"It's in Elizabeth's handwriting," Mary said weakly.

Jane walked quickly to her younger sister's side, holding her hand out wordlessly for the letter. Mary gave it to her, her skin still pale with shock.

Jane took a small letter from the envelope and unfolded it gently, her brown eyes growing darker as they scanned the letter's contents. She looked up when she had reached the end of the letter, her expression resigned.

"Well," she said finally, her voice hoarse with strain. "At least now we know who Lizzie is looking for."

"Who?" Darcy demanded, unable to hide his intense curiosity.

Jane met his questioning gaze, her face uncharacteristically hard.

"You, Mr. Darcy."

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Elizabeth ducked underneath an overhanging branch, ignoring the brambles that caught and tore at the loose shirt and breeches she had slipped on in place of her usual dress. No matter how scandalous such an outfit was in the regular world, such things were usually necessary when fighting vampires; it was nearly impossible to outrun an extremely fast being when wearing a long skirt and corset.

As Elizabeth dodged yet another exposed tree root that threatened to trip her in her distracted condition, she wondered how on earth she had arrived here, nearly lost in a forest in the middle of nowhere searching for a man she had once sworn to hate.

Elizabeth paused for a second to take another drink of the silver-and-holy-water mixture. Her hands brushed against the well-worn letter that was hidden inside the folds of her shirt next to the flask of water, causing her to tense. Surely she didn't need to read the letter's contents again?

With a resigned sigh, Elizabeth gently retrieved the letter and unfolded it slowly, her green eyes flickering through its contents shrewdly. It bothered her that she didn't recognize the handwriting of whoever had written it, although she was 90% sure that the writer was a man. She was 100% sure that the writer was a vampire.

_Dear Miss Elizabeth Bennet,_

_It will no doubt interest you to know that one of your close acquaintances is currently enjoying my hospitality. Since you are exceptionally well informed for a woman of your status, I am quite sure that you will understand why I can not at this time reveal to you my location. It is not that I don't trust you, Miss Elizabeth, but I'm not quite ready to die yet, as I'm sure you will understand. I know your friend doesn't want to die either, although in his case whether he dies or not is entirely up to the two of us. Now then, if you would be so kind as to meet me in a place of my choosing, I assure you that our mutual friend will be freed in more or less the same state he was in before. However, if you refuse to meet me, I regret that I will be forced to take a rather unpleasant course of action against my guest, which would be quite unfortunate indeed._

_I hope that this letter finds you well,_

_P.S., Mr. Darcy sends his regards. He would have liked to say more, I am sure, but I'm afraid that he is rather busy at the moment._

There was no name on the letter, although Elizabeth thought she had a pretty good idea of who had written it, even if she didn't recognize the handwriting.

Elizabeth tucked the letter into her sleeve and looked up at the light that filtered through the thick branches above her head. She frowned slightly and cast a wary look at the trail in front of her. She had hoped to reach her destination before night fell in order to prepare, but the way things were….

With one final swig of the mixture, Elizabeth continued walking down the trail, barely heeding the letter as it fell out of the folds of her shirt and fluttered slowly towards the forest floor.

Darcy leapt nimbly off of the back of his horse, his jaw clenched as his eyes swept over the nearly untouched gravel of the road before him. Beside him, James dismounted as well before turning to help Mary, Jane, and Charlotte out of the carriage they had hired for the journey. Bingley's pale face appeared briefly at the entrance to the carriage before drawing back hastily from the weak sunlight that still filtered from the sky above. Darcy felt a stab of pity for his friend at the expression on Bingley's face.

"Will you follow us when the sun goes down, Bingley?" he asked quietly.

For a moment, Bingley's expression went blank with shock- Darcy hadn't said much to him since his transformation- then he nodded.

"I'll catch up with you," he promised.

"Do you want me to stay with him?" Jane murmured quietly. "I would be able to catch up with you as well."

Darcy nodded, deciding to ignore the look Bingley directed at Jane as he turned away. Much as he was rejoiced in his friend's happiness, Darcy knew that he couldn't really be happy for Bingley until Elizabeth was safe.

He turned to the remainder of the party, his expression hard.

"Come on," he said shortly. "We're burning daylight."

Elizabeth slowed almost to a stop as she reached the end of the trail. Her green eyes swept the trees that ringed the shadowy clearing warily, searching for any sign of life. The place was darker than she had imagined, although that shouldn't surprise her. She was meeting a vampire, after all.

After a few minutes of combing the tree line for anything remotely human, Elizabeth had to admit to herself that she wasn't actually looking for the vampire she had sworn to kill; she was looking for Darcy.

"Looking for something, my dear?" a familiar voice said silkily. "Or, perhaps I should say someone?"

Elizabeth didn't turn at the sound of the familiar voice, although her hand tightened around the stake in her belt. Her other hand inched towards Darcy's silver blade as she tried to control her reaction.

Darcy's eyes caught a flash of white on the otherwise brown forest floor. He bent down to retrieve the paper, ignoring the questioning gazes of his companions. His eyes narrowed as they skimmed over the familiar narrow writing.

_Mr. Darcy sends his regards. He would have liked to say more, I am sure, but I'm afraid that he is rather busy at the moment._

Darcy looked up from the letter, his vision red with anger. He turned back to his companions and opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a screeching yell.

Darcy barely had time to reach for the silver stake in his belt before he was tackled to the ground.

"Aren't you going to talk to me, Miss Elizabeth?" the voice scolded lightly. "And here I had hoped that we were going to be civil."

Elizabeth steeled herself and turned around slowly, her hand still clenched around the stake in her belt.

"Hang civilities," she snapped. "Where is he, Wickham?"

Mr. Wickham cocked his head at her words, his hazel eyes watching her intently. Then, incredibly, he laughed.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Darcy rolled onto his back, feeling the soft earth press into his shirt as he tried to dodge the creature on top of him. The creature snarled and snapped at his throat, forcing Darcy to roll once more to avoid the sharp fangs. A few feet away, he could hear sounds of a struggle as his companions battled with creatures of their own. Someone cried out in pain, making Darcy flinch as he dodged the fangs again.

As the creature moved in for a third attempt, Darcy's grip on his stake tightened. His blue eyes locked on the shadowy form of the monster as it lunged, his arm flashing upwards.

The creature screamed as silver entered its chest and collapsed limply onto the ground at Darcy's feet. Darcy pulled himself up gingerly, his gaze flickering back to where his three companions still battled.

James caught his gaze for a moment before another creature lunged at him. His jaw tightened and he nodded once before turning back to the battle before him. Darcy nodded back a second later. He turned his back on James and the others and ran into the forest.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed at the sound of Wickham's laugh. Why was he laughing? What was this monster hiding?

Wickham's laughter cut off after a few moments, although his bright eyes still shone with amusement.

"I say, you are very gullible, aren't you Miss Elizabeth?" he chortled. "'Where is he, Wickham?'" he cried mockingly in a very poor imitation of her voice. "I'm sure Mr. Darcy would be flattered by your concern if he could see it."

"Why don't you bring him here, then, so that he can enjoy it," Elizabeth snapped impatiently. "We had a deal Wickham."

"Haven't you ever heard of a scam, Miss Elizabeth? My, Mr. Bennet does keep you sheltered, doesn't he?" Wickham sneered silkily. "I suppose it never occurred to you that I could have been lying about having Mr. Darcy as a hostage?"

Elizabeth's face reddened slightly with embarrassment, although her eyes remained sharp with anger.

"Now then," Wickham continued lazily. "Unless you have any other foolish questions, I would like to get started with the actual reason for our meeting. I'm on a tight schedule, you see. I'm not sure how long my guards can keep your rescuers busy."

Before Elizabeth could open her mouth to ask him what he was talking about, Wickham had flashed to her side, raw hunger lighting up his expression. Elizabeth tried to back away, only to realize with a dim horror that she couldn't move. Wickham smiled at her discomfort, his hazel eyes nearly glowing with the compulsion that he was sending.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth, remembering the flask that she still hid in her sleeve. She needed to do this.

With a silent prayer to whomever was watching, Elizabeth gave into the compulsion.

Darcy ran through the thick trees and shrubs that coated the trail like a veil, struggling to follow the path that Elizabeth had left behind. His eyes tightened as they picked up traces of a vampire presence mixed onto Elizabeth's path. Had one of his attackers gotten Elizabeth also or had Wickham intercepted her before she could reach her destination? Fury built up inside of him in reaction to both of those options. No matter what it took, he would kill Wickham.

Darcy froze as a small moan filtered through the trees to his right. He moved soundlessly to the edge of the tree line, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the clearing.

Elizabeth was leaning slightly against one of the trees that lined the clearing, her skin ghostly pale. Wickham was leaning over her, his arms around her shoulders to support her, his mouth at her neck. Elizabeth's eyes opened suddenly, their expression dulled slightly by Wickham's compulsion. Her gaze met Darcy's through the curtain of trees, making him tense. A small frown flickered across her face and her eyes cleared. Trying not to alert Wickham to his presence, she mouthed for him to go.

Darcy didn't move. His hand clenched into a fist around the stake as he took a step forward.

Elizabeth's eyes widened in terror and she motioned for him to leave.

Darcy took another step forward.

Her eyes filled with frustrated tears as she signaled for him to turn around.

He took another step, his foot colliding with a loose twig.

Wickham looked up as the snap of the twig echoed throughout the silent clearing. He smiled grimly when he saw Darcy.

"Ah, there you are, Darcy," he greeted jovially. "A little late, aren't you?"

Elizabeth was struggling weakly in Wickham's grip, her skin going paler with the effort. Both of the men ignored her.

"I'm afraid I was a little side tracked by your friends in the woods, Wickham," Darcy replied coldly.

Wickham chuckled as if Darcy had told an amusing joke.

"Ah, yes, the Brown sisters," he murmured. "They really were charming girls."

Almost as an afterthought, Wickham released his hold on Elizabeth's shoulders. She gasped slightly as she crumpled to the ground, still weak from the loss of blood. Darcy struggled to stay where he was.

Wickham flashed him a brilliant smile.

"So, Darcy," he said cheerfully. "Who is going to kill me today?"

"I am, Wickham," Darcy replied flatly.

Wickham's eyebrows rose and his smile widened.

"I was so hoping you would say that," he chuckled.

Darcy lunged for Wickham, his stake aimed at the vampire's heart. Wickham dodged easily, allowing the stake to pierce him through the shoulder. Darcy cried as a searing pain erupted in his shoulder. He gritted his teeth against the pain and lunged again, this time aiming for the throat.

Wickham grabbed the stake's point before it could reach him and thrust it through his stomach.

Darcy screamed as the pain spread to his stomach. He doubled over slightly, his hand still clenched around the stake.

Wickham grinned wickedly and moved the stake to his leg.

Darcy fell to the ground as his legs buckled beneath him. He noted with growing despair that Wickham's wounds were already healing.

Wickham laughed at Darcy and moved forward, his fangs extending.

"How about we finish what we started, Darcy?" he suggested casually. "I'm sure your family is dying to see you again."

Darcy winced and tried to stand up. Wickham swatted him down easily, his expression almost bored. Darcy groaned as stars erupted in front of his eyes.

"I'm disappointed, Darcy," Wickham told him seriously. "I had hoped for a better fight. Don't tell me you've-."

Wickham broke off suddenly, his expression twisting into something that was almost pain. He looked down at the wounds from the stake, his eyes widening as they reopened.

"You really should be careful what you eat," Elizabeth said with disgust.

Wickham turned to face her, his eyes blazing.

"You… BITCH!" he screamed as he lunged for her throat.

Elizabeth dodged him neatly, her feet slipping slightly as she struggled to keep upright.

Wickham snarled again, his skin going even paler as blood poured out of his newly reopened wounds. Elizabeth watched him calmly as she took a leather flask out of the sleeve of her shirt. She opened the flask and tossed some clear liquid onto him calmly, a small smile flickering across her face as Wickham screamed.

Darcy pulled himself to his feet, his face hardening against the pain. He stumbled to Elizabeth's side as Wickham prepared to lunge again.

Wickham snarled and ran at Darcy.

The two humans calmly held up their stakes, aiming for the vampire's chest.

Wickham's scream mingled with Darcy's in the air as burning agony erupted in their chests.

The two men collapsed suddenly from the pain, their skin graying. Elizabeth stumbled to Darcy's side, trying to see past the dizziness that was threatening to overwhelm her.

James, Mary, Jane, and Bingley froze at the edge of the clearing. Jane gave a quiet cry and leaned slightly against Bingley's shoulder. Mary's hand found James's and held it tightly. James and Bingley pulled away gently from the women and walked slowly to the middle of the clearing. Carefully, they examined the three limp forms that were strewn across the patch of land, trying to find signs of life.

Out of the three bodies found in the clearing, only two were still alive.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen. Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Darcy opened his eyes slowly, trying to ignore the searing aches that rippled through him with every tiny movement. He grimaced slightly and turned his head to the side. The curtains had been drawn over the one window in the room, something that Darcy was grateful for. The only light in the room came from a small lamp that had been lit on the table beside his bed, the soft glow coming from the lamp washing the white-blue walls of the modest bedroom in an orange glow. Darcy leaned back into the pillows that supported his head, his broad shoulders relaxing for the first time in a while. His feeling of relaxation lasted for only a few moments before the he remembered why he had been tense in the first place.

Elizabeth. Where was she? Was she alright? Had Wickham…? No, Darcy was sure that Wickham had been killed… wasn't he? Darcy thought that he and Elizabeth had impaled Wickham before he had blacked out….

Darcy sat up in bed, only to fall back down immediately as the pain overwhelmed him. Ouch, maybe moving hadn't been a very good idea.

Darcy looked around the room again, his eyes narrowing as he tried to place the room. Was he in Pemberley? No, they hadn't been close enough to Derbyshire to reach Pemberley; and besides, he would have woken up in his own rooms if that had been the case. Could he be in Netherfield then? Darcy didn't think so; he hadn't seen this room before while he was staying at Bingley's house.

Someone knocked lightly on his door before opening it slightly so that they could peer into the room.

Darcy raised an eyebrow and tried to straighten up in his bed. He winced again and gave up when the pain hit him again.

"If you want to come in, you can," he said finally, his voice cracking from disuse.

The door opened even more and Elizabeth Bennet slipped into the room, not quite able to achieve a guilty expression.

"James and Georgiana will be relieved to know that you are awake," she said quietly. "They were afraid that you wouldn't recover."

Darcy nodded, his ice-blue eyes taking in the bandage that was wound around Elizabeth's neck and the small cuts and scrapes that marked her face and wrists.

"How long was I out?" he asked softly.

"About a fortnight," she replied, her green eyes slightly pained. She glanced at Darcy sharply, her expression hardening. "Why did you come after me?"

"Why did you?" Darcy retorted. "I saw the letter that Wickham sent you."

Elizabeth blushed and looked down at the wooden floor of the bedroom.

"I-I just did," she muttered, embarrassed.

Darcy watched her for a long moment, his thoughts going back to the conversation he had had with Mr. Bennet.

"Do you always want to be a vampire hunter?" he asked.

Elizabeth stared at him, slightly taken aback by his question.

"I'm- I never really thought about it," she admitted.

"Would you- would you ever want a normal life?" Darcy asked instead.

Elizabeth thought for a moment, a small glow of understanding brightening her eyes for the first time in days.

"I think that normal lives are over rated," she said playfully. She turned to leave the room, only to hesitate by the doorway for a few moments as she turned back to face him.

"I was worried, you know," she murmured. "I didn't know if you would wake up either."

Darcy smiled slightly when she closed the door. Was Mr. Bennet always right?

"Mr. Darcy is awake," Elizabeth called as she walked into the parlor room of James Fitzwilliam's estate in Kent.

Georgiana, James, and Bingley looked up immediately, their faces transfigured with relief. Mary and Jane walked forward quickly, concern for their sister written across their faces.

"How is he?" Georgiana demanded quickly.

Elizabeth shrugged.

"He seems fine," she said. "Although I think he might still be in pain."

Georgiana's relief faded slightly but she smiled.

"I'm going to talk to him," she announced. "James? Do you want to come with me?"

James hesitated, his blue eyes flickering to where Mary stood beside her sister.

"I think I'll let you and Darcy have a few moments alone," he said slowly. "Mary? Would you like to accompany me on a walk through the grounds?"

Mary nodded solemnly, ignoring the knowing looks that Jane and Elizabeth exchanged behind her back. She glared once at her sisters before James escorted her out of the room, although her brown eyes were bright with expectation.

Bingley looked up as the two left the room, a wide grin twisting his lips.

"Your mother is going to be a happy woman when we get home, Miss Jane," he said cheerfully.

Jane nodded, her pale face flushing slightly. Bingley had proposed to her shortly after Elizabeth had regained consciousness. Though he still needed to be transformed into a human again, Jane had said yes immediately. The couple was planning on announcing their engagement shortly after Bingley was returned to normal, which, according to Mary, would be soon.

Elizabeth smiled slightly and walked out of the room to give her sister some privacy.

Georgiana grinned at her brother as she settled into the chair beside his bed, her blue eyes excited.

"So?" she demanded as soon as she had stopped hugging him. "Have you proposed yet?"

Darcy frowned at her, too amused to be angry.

"For goodness sakes, Georgiana," he said exasperatedly. "I only just woke up."

Georgiana's face fell slightly as she remembered how frantic she had been only minutes before and she nodded.

"But you are going to, aren't you brother?" she insisted.

Darcy sighed and smiled crookedly at his sister.

"You are quite concerned with my social life for a younger sister," he noted wryly.

Georgiana rolled her eyes.

"Please, brother," she said impatiently. "If I'm not concerned, who will be?"

"You sound like James," Darcy muttered. Then his smile faded and his expression grew serious. "What happened?"

Georgiana's face darkened at the memory.

"James told me that Bingley came just in time to help them defeat Wickham's guards," she said quietly. "They followed your trail and found you and Elizabeth with Wickham's corpse. Both of you were unconscious when they arrived, although I think Elizabeth passed out from blood loss. They took both of you here to James' estate since it was the closest. I was waiting for them there with Mr. Bennet. Oh please, Fitzwilliam, you didn't think that we would keep this from him, would you?" she added impatiently when she saw Darcy's expression.

"Jane and her father cared for Elizabeth until she regained consciousness three days later. Mary, James, and I, meanwhile, took charge of you. You were lucky, you know," Georgiana told him. "If Elizabeth hadn't weakened his powers with that vile stuff that she was drinking, both of you would have died."

Darcy nodded, thankful once more that Elizabeth was alive.

"Mr. Bennet left after he was assured that Elizabeth would be alright," Georgiana continued. "He took Miss Charlotte with him so that they could keep an eye out for other vampires in the area. He promised to send us word if there were any other vampires in the area, although he doubts that there will be too many since Wickham is gone. He gave his permission, by the way," she said pointedly. "Just in case you had need of it."

Darcy felt his face go red but he nodded eager for Georgiana to move on with her story.

Georgiana smiled slightly and shrugged.

"That's about all," she said thoughtfully. "You didn't miss much…Oh! Jane and Mr. Bingley are engaged. He proposed to her after Elizabeth woke up."

Darcy smiled slightly, unable to curb his joy at his friend's happiness. If anyone deserved a wife like Jane Bennet, it was Charles.

"How are they going to deal with the fact that he's a vampire?" he asked quietly.

"Mary and Elizabeth discovered a way to reverse the transformation before Elizabeth left," Georgiana replied. "The mixture that weakened Wickham can also turn a vampire into a human again, if it is used correctly. Mary has actually been giving you some of the mixture to help weaken your connection to Wickham's blood."

Darcy nodded and leaned back against the pillows again, his eyelids heavy.

"Do you want to rest, brother?" Georgiana asked gently.

Darcy nodded slightly, his eyes already half-closed.

Georgiana kissed him lightly on the forehead and walked softly out of the room. Like Elizabeth before her, she paused before leaving and turned back.

"Don't wait to long, Fitzwilliam," she advised him. "Elizabeth may become impatient and propose herself."

Darcy smiled sleepily. He would have liked to see that.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks to all of the people who reviewed! See, I'm not that evil!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

James walked slowly through the scenic walk that wound through the grounds of his estate, Mary's pale hand on his arm. He glanced furtively at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to gather his nerve.

Mary herself didn't seem to be in any hurry. A small smile lingered on her lips from her sisters' teasing and her normally pale skin was flushed slightly with expectation. She knew that she couldn't expect anything too extraordinary; after all, she was the plain one in the family and James was far from any definition of plain. Still, it was hard to resist Jane's enthusiasm when it came to relationships; Mary still hadn't forgotten Jane's efforts to set her up with one of their father's accountants.

James paused by a weeping willow tree by the small creek that ran through his grounds, his expression conflicted. He turned back to where Mary still stood, his mouth opening slightly.

Mary ignored his unasked question and walked quickly to the low stone bench that bordered the creek. She turned back to him, a small smile playing across her lips, and gestured for him to join her.

James smiled slightly and sat beside her. It was easy to be around Mary.

He hesitated for a moment before kneeling in front of her, his face set with determination.

"Mary," he said quietly. "I-I realize this is probably… unexpected but, I wanted to- I wish that you would- It would give me great honor if you-." James stopped, a slight pucker forming between his eyebrows. How did one say this the right way to a woman like Mary?

Mary frowned slightly with confusion and cocked her head.

"I know my sisters call me the intelligent one, Mr. Fitzwilliam, but I don't understand everything," she told him quietly.

James's expression cleared and he smiled.

"Mary Bennet," he said. "Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Mary stared at him for a moment, her mouth falling open. Well, it seemed that Jane knew more about relationships than she gave her credit for.

"I-yes," she stuttered, her skin flushing. "Yes!"

James grinned and joined her on the bench, his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

"One more thing," he whispered. "Call me James."

Bingley looked around at the grim faces of his friends as they stood in a circle around him and took a deep, steadying breath. He looked over his shoulder at the place where Jane stood in the circle, her already pale face ghost-white with terror. He tried to smile reassuringly at her, although he wasn't sure that the smile had the desired effect since he was scared out of his wits at the moment.

Jane turned and whispered into the ear of her sister Mary, seeming slightly frantic. Mary sighed and nodded before walking slowly towards Bingley.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Bingley nodded slowly, his jaw tightening.

"I'm ready," he said quietly.

Mary nodded and walked back to the circle just as Georgiana helped her brother to his place between Elizabeth and James. Bingley forced a small smile at his friend, feeling slightly relieved when Darcy smiled back. At least Darcy had recovered.

Bingley's gaze went immediately to Mary Bennet as she cleared her throat. She shifted restlessly on her feet, looking suddenly nervous. A small vial of clear liquid was clutched tightly in her hand.

"You all know what to do, correct?" she asked cautiously.

The others nodded, their faces set. Mary took a deep, steadying breath and looked back at Bingley.

"This may hurt," she warned him. Then she threw the water over his head in a wide arc.

Bingley choked back a scream as the drops from the liquid dripped onto his skin. Searing pain erupted from the places where the liquid touched his exposed skin, resembling the burning he had experienced when he had been hit by a ray of sunlight shortly after his transformation. The burning increased as the water rained down at a steadier pace. Bingley's eyes flew to Jane's pained expression. His own pain dimmed slightly and he tried to smile at her. She forced a small smile back, her eyes wet. She leaned weakly against her sisters' shoulders, her brown eyes never leaving Bingley's face.

After an agonizing hour that seemed to go on forever, Bingley felt to searing pain begin to fade. He looked up at the sky, his breath catching as he saw the sun's rays creep over the horizon in streaks of pink and red. Jane whimpered and moved towards him, only to be held back by Mary and Elizabeth.

"Wait," Mary murmured.

Bingley's eyes zeroed in on the brightening sky as the sunlight slowly crept above the tree line. He could almost feel everyone in the circle hold their breath when the first rays of light hit his skin. He waited for the searing pain to begin again… and felt nothing.

Jane cried out and broke through Mary and Elizabeth's restraining arms to throw herself into Bingley's arms, her face already wet with tears. Bingley clutched her to him, noting with relief that he could no longer smell the blood that pulsed through her veins. His arms tightened around Jane and he smiled up at the sun.

Finally, something that worked like it was supposed to.

**Ha ha, thought I'd put some fluff in here instead of driving you guys nuts again.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to the amazing Jane Austen! Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed! **


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

James frowned. His eyes swept once more around the half-empty stable, his dark eyebrows drawing closer together with every glance at the horses that pawed impatiently at the hay that lined their stalls.

He sighed in defeat and shook his head before looking over his shoulder at his companion.

"There's no way," he said wearily. "There is no possible way that we could pull this off without arousing suspicion."

Georgiana frowned as well, although the expression seemed less natural on her young features.

"Are you sure?" she said regretfully.

"Positive." James turned to face his cousin, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned back against one of the stall doors. "May I ask why you thought that it would have helped."

Georgiana shrugged her blue eyes wistful as she looked at an impatient white mare across from her.

"I just thought that it would give him some time," she sighed. "Being alone in a carriage with Elizabeth for a few hours before we stopped at an inn or something."

James snorted, his smile widening when Georgiana glared at him.

"And you actually thought that it would work?" he chortled. "Good Lord, you don't know your brother at all."

"I know Elizabeth," Georgiana shot back. "I've been watching her when she was around him during meals and in the parlor. I sincerely doubt that she would be able to sit in a carriage alone with him without cracking."

James nodded, seeing the sense of his cousin's plan.

"So who is the one proposing in your master plan, cousin?" he asked cheerfully. "Darcy or Miss Elizabeth?"

"Does it matter as long as someone says it and the other says yes?" Georgiana shot back.

James chuckled and cast another glance around the stable.

"You know, I think I do have an idea as to how this will work out," he said suddenly.

"We have a problem, Miss Elizabeth," James called brightly as he and Georgiana exited the stables.

Elizabeth turned away from her two sisters, a small frown appearing between her green eyes. Beside her, Bingley and Darcy exchanged surprised looks. Mary glanced once at her fiancé before looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. Although James had insisted that the day would be the perfect time for them to head back towards Hertfordshire, Mary was starting to have her doubts. Surely if James and Darcy rode on horseback like they had planned, they would get soaked to the skin. Though James swore that this would not be the first time he had gotten soaked, Mary couldn't help but wish that he was riding with her in the carriage.

"What is this problem, Mr. Fitz- James," Elizabeth asked warily, hastily using James's first name as his eyebrows rose. As their future brother, James was trying to convince Jane and Elizabeth to call him James to his face.

James's smile widened, causing Darcy's eyes to narrow with suspicion. What was James up to?

"I'm afraid, Miss Elizabeth, that Mary does not take pleasure in the idea of my riding on horseback during the journey. I am sure that it would make her much happier if I was in the carriage with her, your sister, and Bingley."

"I'm not sure that I see what your problem is, James," Elizabeth said slowly.

"There is only room for four in the carriage, Miss Elizabeth," James told her, his eyes sparkling with barely concealed amusement. "If I go in the carriage, where will you ride?"

"I could ride with Georgiana," Elizabeth suggested. "Wasn't she riding in a chaise?"

"Actually, Elizabeth, I was planning on riding one of the mares in James's stable," Georgiana interrupted brightly. "He just acquired her and I would love to try her out."

Elizabeth frowned, seeing their problem. James shot a warning look at Bingley as he opened his mouth to object to the arrangement. He shook his head marginally before turning back to Elizabeth.

"Can you ride a horse, Miss Elizabeth?" James asked casually.

Elizabeth nodded slowly as an idea occurred to her. She glanced at Georgiana, noted the wide smile on her friend's face, and nodded to James.

"What kind of horses do you have for me, James?" she asked firmly.

"Well?"

Georgiana reined in James's white mare beside the jolting window of the carriage, a smug smile playing across her face.

"I left them behind while we were going through the apple orchard," she reported cheerfully. "Although I think it will be a while before they notice my absence.

Jane and Mary exchanged sly smiles while Bingley and James tried unsuccessfully to smother their laughter.

"Have either of them…?" Jane began hopefully.

Georgiana's smile faded and she shook her head.

"Fitzwilliam is being stubborn, he won't do anything," she said with a trace of disappointment.

Jane frowned slightly, a peculiar expression going across her eyes. Bingley noticed and tightened his arms around her shoulders. Jane looked up at him and smiled.

"I think our Lizzie can handle herself," she said confidently.

"Did you happen to see where Georgiana went?" Darcy asked suddenly, not quite able to inject the right amount of concern into his tone. He kept his ice-blue eyes trained on the beaten road ahead of them, not quite able to meet Elizabeth's gaze.

Elizabeth frowned, her jaw clenched tightly as she navigated the young stallion around a fallen tree branch that had blocked her side of the road. The roan flanks of her horse came very close to the flanks of Darcy's own grey mount.

"I believe she passed us when we were going through the orchard a few miles back," she said with forced calm. _Why can't he say what is really on his mind?_ She thought irritably.

"Ah," Darcy replied disinterestedly, internally cursing his sister for leaving him alone with Elizabeth. "Do you honestly think James was right about the weather?" he asked casually.

Elizabeth shrugged. Personally, she wouldn't have cared if the earth had started to quake and brimstone had fallen from the sky; she was too incensed by Darcy's silence.

"I wonder when Bingley will be able to go out into the sunlight again," Darcy thought aloud, searching desperately for a neutral subject.

Elizabeth's frown deepened. Bingley's continued discomfort in sunlight was one of the few side effects of his former vampirism, though Mary had assured a concerned Jane that the effects would wear off after a few weeks.

"Elizabeth-."

"Darcy, if you are about to start on another one of your 'neutral subjects', I swear I will go insane," Elizabeth snapped.

Darcy's eyebrows rose with surprise, although he made no move to continue with what he had been about to say.

"You are so irritating," Elizabeth continued furiously. "Why do you always insist on avoiding what really needs to be said? How can you be so stubborn?"

"And what, Miss Elizabeth, am I being stubborn about?" Darcy asked, unable to really hide his amusement.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed into slits.

"I think that you know exactly what you are being stubborn about," she said tightly.

"No, I don't really think that I do, Miss Elizabeth," Darcy replied cheerfully.

"Yes," Elizabeth said through gritted teeth. "You do."

"Do I?"

"Oh, for goodness sakes, Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth burst out. "Do you really have no idea of how much I love you? Why can't you just ask me to marry you and get on with it?"

A wide smile broke across Darcy's face, the first he had had in a long time. A small chuckle escaped his lips, making Elizabeth glare at him.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" she asked curtly.

Darcy bit back his laughter, although he didn't quite manage to erase the smile.

"Elizabeth," he said quietly. "Would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"

Elizabeth smiled slightly and opened her mouth to reply just as the sky opened up and rain poured down on top of them. The two glanced up at the stormy sky, trying to shield their eyes against the sudden downpour. Darcy reached out and grabbed the side of Elizabeth's reins and steered her into the shelter of a small copse of trees. He glanced down at her, the breath flying out of him at the sight of her auburn hair, soaked and dripping with rain from the storm.

Elizabeth looked up at him, a small smile twisting her lips.

"Promise me that we won't let James pick the date for the wedding," she said brightly. "He seems to be a very poor judge of the weather."

Darcy chuckled and took Elizabeth's hand in his, his eyes soft.

"I wouldn't care if it rained, hailed, or snowed," he murmured. "Our wedding day will still be the happiest of my life."

"They're coming," Georgiana cried eagerly from her place by the window.

The others sighed with relief and went to join Georgiana as she watched the two horses approach. Though none of them dared to doubt Jane's visions, even Jane herself had started to worry about Elizabeth and Darcy's absence when the rain had started. James took one look at the couple's intertwined hands and grinned in triumph.

"Mission accomplished," he murmured.

"Good Lord- Mr. Bennet!"

Bennet looked up wearily from the novel he had been reading in his study, his large green eyes blinking rapidly beneath his spectacles. He frowned, slightly annoyed. He had been reading a good book… at least, as good as a romance novel could be. He made a mental note to look for any other books by this Jane Austen woman. She seemed to be quite the writer…

"Mr. Bennet!"

"What is it, my dear?" he called tiredly.

"Mr. Bennet, they're back! Jane, Lizzie, and Mary! And they have brought Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy with them! Oh, and someone else too, I think. What is his name again? The one with Mr. Darcy's eyes?"

"La, Mamma, how could you forget?" Lydia asked archly. "Do you not remember Mr. Fitzwilliam from his visits with Mr. Darcy's sister?"

"Oh, yes; yes of course! My dear Lydia, go and alert the housekeeper. I do hope that they will all stay for tea."

"I am sure they will my dear, if you serve them," Bennet called mischievously as he went to join the remainder of his family in the parlor. He wondered briefly if Darcy had considered his words, then banished the thought before it could show on his features. Despite her silliness, Mrs. Bennet could be quite insightful when she wanted to. Bennet didn't want to steal the pleasure that she would experience if his plans succeeded.

Jane and Mary came in first, their expressions ranging from shyness to wariness, followed closely by James Fitzwilliam and Bingley, whose expressions were a mix of apprehension and amusement. Last of all came Elizabeth and Darcy; Bennet caught a glimpse of their intertwined hands before they hastily stepped away from each other the moment they entered the room. Bennet turned away to hide his smile, feeling suddenly triumphant. He was always right. His three daughters didn't share his feelings of pleasure.

"Lizzie, Jane, how do we tell mother?" Mary muttered.

"Forget about Mamma, I'm more worried about Lydia and Kitty," Elizabeth hissed.

Jane kept silent, her brown eyes following Bingley as he followed James and Darcy into Bennet's library.

"Why don't we all break the news to her at once," Elizabeth suggested quietly.

"Oh no," Mary objected hastily. "I wanted to tell her last, that way she might get so excited by your news and faint before she could rejoice in mine."

"That isn't very fair, Mary," Jane whispered, breaking her silence as she broke away from Kitty's hug.

"What isn't very fair?" Mrs. Bennet broke in as she bustled into the room with a tea tray.

"That Mary won't tell you that she is getting married to Mr. Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth said quickly, already looking for a place to duck.

There was complete and total silence for a long moment. Then:

"What? My dear, Mary! Why on earth did you not tell me?" Mrs. Bennet demanded, her voice rising hysterically.

Mary winced and avoided the suddenly venomous stares of Lydia and Kitty.

"You?" Lydia demanded, so surprised that it was almost an insult. "Why you?"

"Next time you three go on a trip, you must take me along," Kitty whined.

"Why did you not tell me the moment you came in?" Mrs. Bennet asked again.

"I was merely waiting for Lizzie to tell you about her own engagement to Mr. Darcy," Mary said sweetly, shooting an evil glance at Elizabeth. Elizabeth winced.

"Lizzie! How could you keep me in the dark for so long?"

"Oh come on! Did all of you get husbands?" Lydia cried out exasperatedly.

"How unfair! Why did you not take me with you?" Kitty whimpered.

"Jane, why don't you tell Mamma about you and Mr. Bingley?" Elizabeth cried hastily, her eyes apologetic as she turned the attention onto her sister.

Jane winced as the volume in the room rose dramatically. Her gaze followed Elizabeth's and Mary's as they looked longingly towards the door through which their fiancés had disappeared.

"Well," Bennet said jovially as the voices of his wife and youngest daughters echoed through the heavy wood of the door to the library. "It seems that my daughters have told my wife the good news."

James turned away to hide his smile while Darcy and Bingley winced at the hysterical tone of Mrs. Bennet's voice.

"When do you think it will be… appropriate for us to join them?" Bingley asked delicately.

Bennet shrugged.

"You can leave whenever you want to, boys," he said cheerfully. "Especially Mr. Darcy, since my wife is slightly intimidated by his presence."

James snorted quietly before casting a not-so-apologetic look at Bennet. Bennet winked at him and looked appraisingly at Bingley.

"So, you seem to be doing well, Bingley," he noted.

"Miss Mary was very helpful with her knowledge of the cure," Bingley said sincerely. "I am very thankful for the presence of her and her sisters."

James's smile softened at the mention of his fiancée.

"Mary is a very special woman," he murmured.

Bennet turned his eyes towards Darcy and smiled.

"I don't think I have to ask you about your feelings, Darcy," he said quietly. "Tell me, who convinced you to use my advice?"

"Elizabeth did, actually," Darcy said unashamedly.

Bennet chuckled and cocked his head.

"I think you can risk my wife's attentions now," he mused. "You will have to get used to it before the wedding."

Bingley and James nodded and got up to join their fiancées. Darcy moved to follow them but was held back by a gesture from Bennet.

"Wait just a moment, Darcy," he said, his eyes already travelling back to the novel he had been pulled from. "I wanted to ask you about your library…"

The End

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! All of the credit belongs to amazing Jane Austen! Special thanks to all of the people who reviewed! Your comments and support were very much appreciated!**

** In case anyone wants to read any more of my writing (and is not a hater of twilight) I will be working on a twilight fan fiction starting tomorrow.**

**Thanks again to all of the people who reviewed! You guys rock!**

**-Luxio Nyx**


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